All the provinces in CALABARZON Region have put in place their Provincial Commodity Investment Plans (PCIPs).

Recently, the Rizal Provincial Development Council endorsed the PCIPs for banana, mango, and pineapple. The PCIPs were based on the region-wide Value Chain Analyses (VCAs) of the said commodities that were prepared by the local and national level planning (I-PLAN) component of the PRDP CALABARZON Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO).

“This endorsement assures all fruit growers and sellers in Rizal that they have access to millions of funds which can transform their lives. Whether their project is about infrastructure or enterprise, the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) has an answer,” RPCO I-PLAN Component Head Ella Obligado said.

Rizal’s production for 2016 includes 3,532 metric tons (MT) of saba and lakatan banana varieties, 1,402 MT of mango, and 444 MT of pineapple. Moreover, large tracts of fruit production areas in the province are located in the towns of Tanay, Pililia, Rodriguez, and in Antipolo City.

Many farmers in Rizal practice natural farming, wherein there is minimal use of inputs, resulting in sweeter taste of fruit produce. The said farmers can also command higher prices for their products, whether fresh or processed, due to their proximity to Metro Manila and because of their local urban population. Some of the processed products of the province include banana chips and mango and pineapple wines, chutney, and jam.

Aside from the provincial government, all city and municipal governments in Rizal may directly establish partnership with the PRDP. They may submit subproject proposals for the PRDP’s infrastructure development (I-BUILD) and enterprise development (I-REAP) components.

In addition, there are accredited organizations and cooperatives in Rizal that can propose for the development of the identified priority commodities by establishing new enterprises or expanding existing businesses. Subproject proposals for I-REAP can cover the different segments of the value chain such as production, processing, and marketing.

“The Project hopes that this is the start of great partnership with the different local governments, cooperatives, and rural associations in Rizal,” Obligado said.

She added that the PCIP and VCA documents will not be limited to PRDP use. Identified opportunities in the investment plans can also be used for funding consideration of the local government units, civil society organizations, and the private sector.

To date, the region has P1.7 billion-worth of 18 approved I-BUILD subprojects and 12 approved I-REAP subprojects in the Provinces of Cavite (1), Laguna (2), Batangas (1), and Quezon (15). ### (Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP CALABARZON InfoACE Unit Writer)