Rural devt program to be implemented in 2nd half of 2013

The Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) is expected to be implemented in the second half of 2013, a PRDP official said Monday. The program is set to be approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) this month or in March, PRDP deputy director Arnel de Mesa said on the sidelines of the program's review and appraisal mission in Quezon City. The six-year program is aimed at strengthening the agriculture sector by helping framers engage in the higher-value processing of their produce. It is funded through a $500-million loan from the World Bank, $120 million from the Philippine government and beneficiary local government units (LGUs), and a $7-million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The PRDP will cover 80 provinces, including those covered under the older program Mindanao Rural Development Program Phase 2 (MRDP2). But initially, it will cover the regions of CALABARZON (Region IV-A), MIMAROPA (IV-B), Bicol Region (V), Western Visayas (VI), Central Visayas (VII) and Eastern Visayas (VIII). The PRDP was modeled after MRDP2, a five-year program of the Department of Agriculture to assist farmers in 225 Mindanao towns through infrastructure development and farm assistance. The PRDP is intended to be a nationwide extension of the Mindanao program. According to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, the PRDP and the MRDP2 "are the programs that are designed to increase farmers' and fishers' incomes through investments in climate-smart physical and ecological infrastructure and in broad-based value-adding enterprises. With these programs, we aim not only to improve agriculture, but also improve the way we do agriculture." — BM, GMA News