BAGUIO CITY – With the endorsement of the Provincial Commodity Investment Plans (PCIP), interventions not qualified for funding under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) can now be implemented through the support of other institutions/ agencies and stakeholders.

The Regional Development Council (RDC) thru the Sectoral Committee on Economic Development (SeCom) endorsed the PCIPs during its regular meeting on September 15, for utilization by other institutions/ agencies (such as the RLAs, LGUs, GOCCs, NGOs, funding institutions and the private sector) in the formulation of their annual investment plans, and for other stakeholders to implement or provide funding support to those interventions indicated in the PCIPs.

“Not all interventions can be funded by PRDP, hence, we are selling this document for other agencies to use as their basis for funding projects,” said Susan D. Balanza, DA Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division Chief and PRDP I-PLAN Component Head, as she presents the PCIP to the RDC.

Crafted under the PRDP, Balanza explained that the PCIP rationalizes the interventions within the various segments of the value chain of the commodity industry. It is a three-year rolling consensus plan between the DA and implementing LGUs containing interventions or specific infrastructure and enterprise subprojects in support to the growth of prioritized commodities in the provinces. It shall be the basis for PRDP in selecting eligible subprojects for funding.

The commodities considered in the 2017-2019 PCIPs are: coffee, mango and beef cattle for the province of Abra; coffee and cardava banana for Apayao; coffee, white potato and ubi/e for Benguet; coffee, heirloom rice and cardava banana for Ifugao and Kalinga; and coffee, heirloom rice and white potato for Mt. Province.

Since the PCIP is a rolling plan, Balanza explained that provinces can add more commodities as long as Value Chain Analyses are developed. (Elvy S. Taquio, CARPCO InfoACE Unit)