The provinces of Laguna and Cavite plan to boost the coffee industry, while helping producers in their areas through establishment of coffee tree nurseries and extension of technology and capacity training to coffee farmers under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Quezon province, on the other hand, aims to put up a village-type processing plants along with interventions to increase production under the same program to raise the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) production and marketing in the area.

These were firmed up during the Enterprise Prioritization of the three provinces on April 7-8 in Los Banos, Laguna.

The said activity was facilitated by the PRDP National Project Coordinating Office (NPCO) and Region 4-A Enterprise Development Component (I-REAP) to assist the provincial local government units (PLGUs) in identifying primary constraints and opportunities along the value chain of their priority commodities.

Through the workshop, the three PLGUs pinpointed challenges and opportunities from input provision, commodity production, processing and marketing. The participants were able to come up with possible interventions to be included in the creation of business model for priority commodities, which then will be the basis for I-REAP
sub-project proposals.

Specifically, Laguna and Cavite plan to include formal marketing contracts between farmers, processors and traders; series of trainings for coffee farmers on organic fertilizer preparation and modern farming technologies and equipment; and promotion of consumption of their locally-produced coffee as projects to be funded the PRDP I-REAP
component.

On the other hand, Quezon province is proposing to set up interventions like the rehabilitation and expansion of provincial seedling nurseries and coco-seed farms, regular pest and diseases surveillance,farm-to-market roads construction, and a series of trainings for coconut farmers to be part of their I-REAP sub-projects.

PRDP is a six-year national project implemented under the DA, with a funding worth P27.48-billion from World Bank loan, and counterparts from the national government and LGU. It aims to develop the economy in the rural areas while increasing incomes of rural farmers and fishers. (Radel Llagas, RPCO IV-A)

The PPMIU staff of Laguna, Cavite and Quezon pose with RPCO IV-A I-REAP component staff and NPCO I-REAP consultant Mr. Patrick Belisario during the Enterprise Prioritization Workshop.

Mr. Patrick Belisario explains the flow of the workshop to the participants of the Enterprise Prioritization Workshop.