PRDP - North Luzon

𝐃𝐀-𝐏𝐑𝐃𝐏 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞-𝐔𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

Calling all coffee lovers, this is your chance to taste and select the best coffee from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao as the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Scale-Up is showcasing the country’s thriving coffee sector through the participation of 13 farmer organizations and enterprises at the Philippine Coffee Expo (PCE) 2026 from June 5 to 7 at the SPACE, One Ayala Mall, Makati City.

With this year’s theme, “Creating Shared Ground,” the expo brings together coffee farmers, processors, roasters, traders, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, and coffee enthusiasts on a shared platform that promotes collaboration, innovation, and growth across the Philippine coffee industry.

The DA-PRDP Scale-Up exhibit features coffee products from proponent groups representing major coffee-producing areas across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. These organizations have benefited from the Project’s strategic investments and interventions.

| 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬: 𝐁𝐌𝐏𝐂’𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧

For years, vegetable farmers in the highlands faced the same challenge after every harvest: fluctuating prices, finding buyers, transporting produce to distant markets, and waiting for payments that often took time to arrive. For small-scale farmers with only a few hundred kilograms of vegetables to sell, the journey to the market could be as difficult as growing the crops themselves.

In Balili, Mankayan, Benguet, however, farmers are finding a different path. The establishment of a consolidation center has changed more than just the way vegetables are marketed—it has strengthened livelihoods, expanded market opportunities, and brought farming communities closer together.

Through the Highland Vegetable Consolidation and Marketing Enterprise subproject implemented under the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), the Bosigan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BMPC) established a consolidation center where vegetables harvested from farms across the community are gathered and delivered to institutional buyers across North Luzon.

“Greenhouse jay first nga proposed tayo, ngem idi habang magmagna jay proposal, kasla haan mabenepisyaran amin dagiti members (our initial proposal was to establish greenhouses, but we later realized that this would not benefit all of our members),” recalled BMPC Chairperson Liby Ngaseo. “Isunga napanunot mi nga mas mayat daytoy consolidation tapno at least usaren mi, usaren ti community, mabenepisyaran amin (so we decided to establish a consolidation center that could be used by the whole community).”

The cooperative envisioned a system where even farmers with smaller harvests could access larger markets.

“Mai-consolidate kuma amin nga nateng ta ti nateng ti babasit nga farmers ket sagabasit metlang mapan 200 kilos, karkaro dagitoy nateng ti solo parents nga haan maka trabaho ti nalawlawa (we wanted to consolidate the produce of all our members, especially small-scale farmers and solo parents with limited harvests),” added BMPC Manager Wegina Lodias.

Under the system, vegetables from farmers are gathered at the consolidation center before being transported to the market. This approach has streamlined marketing and reduced the burden on individual farmers.

“Ni co-op, bayadan na nga d***s in cash jay nateng ni farmer, higher price pay ken maka free da pay ijay trucking na (the cooperative pays farmers immediately upon delivery, offers better prices, and provides free transportation),” shared Lodias.

Formally turned over to BMPC on June 4, 2024, the consolidation center now serves as a vital link between farmers and consumers, allowing the cooperative to market produce directly to major buyers while ensuring better returns for its members.

“Ti mangmangyari itadta ket naka direct en from farmers to consumers ta naawanen dagijay in between. Ada laengen ti tallo nga actors i-compare mo idi nga ada ti sangapulo nga actors ijay panag-ilako ti nateng. Nagbenefit ni consumer ken ni farmer – medyo nginmato ti income ni farmer, mayat met jay nateng nga naala ni consumer (there are only three actors in the value chain now, unlike before when there were about ten intermediaries involved. Both farmers and consumers benefit),” Lodias continued.

Beyond improving market efficiency, the benefits of the consolidation center are best measured not in kilograms of vegetables sold, but in the opportunities, it has created for their families.

“Nalag-anan kami sinay inmayan din co-op mi tan i-urnong mi amin din mula mi sa et alaen din ay nay co-op mi et da ida metlang mangilako ed Manila (the cooperative has made things easier for us by marketing our produce in Manila) shared Dominga Ngaseo, BMPC member.

“At least nalag-an din iyat mi ay man mula, iyat mi ay man ilako sin mula mi (we can now plant and market our produce with ease),” she added.

Expressing the same, Apina Bantasan also a member of BMPC, shared that there has been an improvement in their income because they are now able to sell all their produce with the help of the consolidation center.

“Haan kamin nga ag kana ut-utang, wada met di pampa iskwela mid annak mi, wada ed pay din FX mi (we no longer have to borrow money from time to time. We are able to send our children to school, and we were even able to buy our own FX service vehicle), shared Bantasan.

The benefits extend beyond active farming households. According to Ngaseo, the consolidation center has also generated employment opportunities for mothers and senior citizens who are no longer able to cultivate large farms, allowing them to earn additional income through packing and support work.

“Idi ada daytoy building, mayat ta nanayunan jay income ti cooperative ken mas linmawa pay ti market mi (with the establishment of this center, the cooperative’s income increased and its market reach expanded), BOD Chair Ngaseo said.

Lodias added that the trust of their fellow farmers has been strengthened as well as the financial capacity of their cooperative.

“The more nga ag iyeg da ti nateng da ditoy, the more met nga ada maconsolidate, the more met nga dumakdakel ti income da metlang (the more produce they deliver, the more vegetables we consolidate, and consequently, the more their income increases), said Lodias.

In the coming years, they envision the expansion of the cooperative’s services to benefit more farmers and for it to be sustained.

While the cooperative continues to pursue growth and expanded services, its greatest measure of success remains the lives it has touched within the community.

“Sapay kuma ta man tultuloy ladta adi sin consolidation ta mayat met ay pan income-an mi ay farmers isunga sapay kuma adi. Ikarkararag mi nga agtultuloy ti biyag din consolidation ay doy (we hope that this consolidation system will continue because it truly helps us earn a living. We pray for its sustainability so that the consolidation center will continue for a long time), expressed Bantasan. # # # (Elvy T. Estacio, RPCO CAR InfoACE Unit)

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🎥 We’re featuring Bosigan MPC’s Highland Vegetable Consolidation and Marketing Enterprise, two years after turnover.

See how far they’ve come since June 4, 2024. Watch the story unfold on June 4, 2026!

| 𝐏𝐑𝐃𝐏 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞

ANDA, Pangasinan - The Department of Agriculture - Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) North Luzon capacitated its staff on training design and management through the conduct of the Training Design and Management Course 101, a Training of Trainers (TOT) activity.

Organized by the Enterprise Development (I-REAP) Component of the Project Support Office (PSO), the five-day course forms part of the Masterclass Training Series for PRDP implementers, a continuing capacity development initiative aimed at strengthening the competencies of PRDP personnel as effective learning facilitators and mentors.

The activity equipped participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to design, manage, and deliver competency-based and learner-centered training programs. Key learning areas included adult learning principles and experiential learning approaches, training needs assessment and responsive training design, preparation of structured session plans and facilitation guides, and effective management of training implementation processes that promote active participant engagement and meaningful learning evaluation.

The course likewise prepared participants to serve as resource persons, facilitators, and mentors in cascading learning interventions across PRDP-covered areas.

The training drew participants from the PSO and Regional Project Coordinating Offices (RPCOs) and members of Farmers Cooperative and Associations (FCAs) across the four regions.

Throughout the five-day program, participants engaged in workshop activities and collaborative learning sessions, completing key outputs such as a draft training design and session plan.

With this initiative, PRDP continues to invest in building an internal pool of capable trainers and mentors equipped to sustain the delivery of capacity development interventions across its implementing units and partner communities.

| 𝐏𝐑𝐃𝐏, 𝐃𝐀𝐏 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐕𝐂𝐀 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐚

ILAGAN CITY, Isabela – The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) together with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) conducted a data collection initiative in the country’s top corn-producing province, as part of a national study on the development of Value Chain Analysis (VCA) for Yellow and White Corn.

Held from May 26-29, 2026, the activity brought together key players of the corn value chain, including farmers, traders, processors, input suppliers and local government representatives from Ilagan City, Cauayan City, Jones, and Naguillian.

DA-PRDP’s I-PLAN Component and DAP’s Productivity and Development Center–Productivity Development Research Office (PDC–PDRO) jointly facilitated the data gathering done through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), with which centered around input supply and production, post-harvest, marketing and trading, support services, among others, to capture the current situation of the corn industry in the province.

By systematically mapping the corn value chain from input supply to end markets, and by grounding the study in the actual experiences of farmers, traders, and local stakeholders in key producing provinces like Isabela, the initiative aims to generate the evidence needed to guide in policy formulation and investment planning to further boost corn productivity and market competitiveness.

The study likewise seeks to identify key production and market challenges and emerging opportunities to help government agencies like the DA prioritize interventions, programs, and services that will better support the farmers, stakeholders, and communities that depend on the crop.

Based on the 2025 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, the Cagayan Valley region remains the largest corn-producing region in the country, contributing 23 to 25 percent of national output, with its full-year production reaching approximately 1.952 million metric tons (MT). Within the region, Isabela stands as the top corn-producing province not just in Region 2, but in the entire country, accounting for roughly 20 percent of national corn production.

Yellow corn dominates production in the province, feeding a nationwide demand driven primarily by the livestock and poultry industries.

Ilagan City, formally declared the Corn Capital of the Philippines by the DA in 2015, contributes 13.92% of Isabela's production output.
Despite its productivity, the corn industry continues to face challenges, such as inadequate postharvest infrastructures, poor or absent mechanization, limited market access for smallholder farmers, and climate-induced production risks, making a comprehensive, evidence-driven industry analysis all the more critical.

Through this VCA, DA-PRDP and DAP aim to produce a clear, data-backed picture of the corn sector's strengths, gaps, and opportunities — from farm to market, to help address longstanding challenges and contribute to a more competitive, resilient, and inclusive corn sector.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧!

The North Luzon Coffee Auction platform is officially live. To all registered bidders, use the login details sent to your email to access the bidding platform.

To all interested in bidding, you can still register here: https://tinyurl.com/mpmxst58 or scan the QR code below.

Bidding will run until June 5, 2026. Secure your lot and bring home the finest coffee the cluster has to offer!
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The NL Coffee Auction platform was developed in collaboration with the Geomapping and Governance Unit (GGU) of the PRDP-NPCO.

DTI Cordillera Administrative Region DTI Region 2 Benguet State University DTI Region 1

| North Luzon is home to some of the most promising coffee communities in the country, and the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) is committed to maximizing the growing potential of local farmers.