ZAMBOANGA CITY, June 20 (PIA) – Calamansi industry stakeholders in Zamboanga Peninsula recently met to stimulate further development of the said sector in the region.

The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) I-PLAN Component of the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO)-9 partnered and collaborated with key players of the calamansi industry in the region to prepare the Zamboanga Peninsula Calamansi Value Chain Analysis (VCA) and Competitiveness Strategy.

Calamansi is among the emerging commodities of the region which needs support for further development and sustain the growth and market positioning.

After having gone through series of key informant interviews, focus group discussions, secondary data gathering and analysis, the DA presented the draft VCA report in a Regional Stakeholders Consultation in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. The area is a strategic location being the 2nd top producing province of calamansi in the Philippines and where majority of the production areas, calamansi farmers and processors in the region are located.

The activity was participated by the Provincial Local Government of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay through its respective Provincial Agriculture Offices, calamansi farmers and processors, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), DA RFO 9 Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), and the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PMED).

Other industry-enabling national government agencies in the region were respondents to key informant interviews, providing relevant information and data.

The value chain analysis, once approved, will then be translated into commodity investment plan by the LGUs wherein prioritized infrastructure and enterprise development projects are identified to be implemented. It shall also be a catalytic planning document to provide investors idea on the opportunities in the calamansi industry in Zamboanga Peninsula region.

The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) is designed to establish the government platform for a modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agri-fishery sector. Externally, it will focus on expanding market access and improving competitiveness. Internally, it will introduce reforms in operating the Department of Agriculture (DA) bureaucracy. (EDT/RVC/PIA9 with reports from and photo courtesy of DA-RFO IX, PRDP)