Selected Proponent Groups (PGs) of various enterprise subprojects in the Cordillera provinces underwent a series of business planning write shops and reviews for possible funding of their proposed subprojects under the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP).

The PGs whose enterprise subprojects were reviewed are Aliwes Irrigators Association, Inc., Bosigan Multipurpose Cooperative, Eddet Farmers Indigenous Peoples’ Association, Apanberang Farmers Association, Duacan Multipurpose Cooperative, and Tawangan Farmers Association. The proposed enterprise subprojects of these PGs are in support to development of the local coffee and highland vegetable industries.

Held consecutively since June 2021, the business plan writeshops and reviews were done by a team composed of representatives from the different components and units of the DA-PRDP. The said team consulted with the officers of the said PGs in developing and reviewing the feasibility of their proposed enterprise subprojects and assisted them in complying with the needed documentary requirements.

DA-PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) CAR I-REAP Component Head Jocelyn W. Beray expressed that through the workshop activities, PGs will be able to fully modify and finalize their respective business plans.

“The end-goal of business planning writeshop activities is to finalize the crafting of their business plans based on their business models and complying all the requirements in terms of Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES), Geo-mapping and Governance, Economics, Financial, Procurement, I-PLAN, and I-BUILD for those with proposed infrastructures,” said RPCO-CAR I-REAP Component Head Jocelyn W. Beray.

She added that the writeshop activities will further capacitate the farmer groups in technical writing and in developing comprehensive business plans.

As part of the writeshop activities, the sustainability of the proposed enterprise subprojects and its link to the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) were assessed. The team also conducted inspection of sites for the construction of facilities that will support the operation of the proposed enterprise subprojects.

Representatives from the Municipal Local Government Units (MLGUs), particularly from the municipal planning, agriculture, and engineering offices, were also present during the business writeshop activities to assist the PGs in crafting their business plans and complying with the requirements.

Business planning activities will also be conducted to select PGs in Abra and Ifugao starting this November.

Meanwhile, the RPCO-CAR and Project Support Office (PSO) North Luzon Cluster recently conducted a Joint Technical Review from October 19-22, 2021, to assess the overall viability of the Coffee Processing and Marketing Enterprise subproject proposed by the Aliwes Irrigators Association. A similar activity is also scheduled to be conducted this month to review the business plans of the other PGs mentioned above.

For the pipelined I-REAP subprojects in CAR, Beray said that they have targeted six enterprise subprojects to be funded under the second additional financing for this year.

“The initial schedule for the Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) meeting is on the first week of December and we hope that at least six of the proposed enterprise subprojects in the region will make it,” Beray added.

As one of the components of the DA-PRDP, the I-REAP component engages broad sections of the farmers and fisherfolk in the production of marketable surplus through investments in strategic segments of priority commodity value chains. The contribution of the I-REAP component to the overall PRDP goal of increasing farmers’ income and marketable surplus in the agri-fishery sector is to strengthen and develop viable agri-fishery based enterprises through efficient value chains of key agricultural and fishery products in targeted project areas.

Elvy T. Estacio (RPCO-CAR InfoACE Unit)