IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay — A proposed ₱99.32-million rubber enterprise project expected to benefit 1,189 farmers in Zamboanga Sibugay is moving closer to implementation as project officials work to complete the requirements for funding approval.
The proposed Rubber Consolidation, Processing and Marketing Enterprise is being developed under the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Scale-Up, with the provincial government partnering with the Timbabauan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (TIMARBENCO).
Project implementers met Oct. 21 in Ipil with representatives of the DA-PRDP Project Support Office Mindanao, the Regional Project Coordination Office IX and the Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit to address outstanding documentary, financing and environmental and social safeguards requirements.
The meeting focused on preparing the project for appraisal and approval, including the development of a comprehensive financing plan, confirmation of funding commitments and coordination of procurement and implementation schedules.
Officials also discussed requirements associated with the proposed use of multiple funding sources, as well as additional environmental and social safeguards that must be met before the project can proceed toward funding approval.
The enterprise, planned for Barangay Timbabauan in Tungawan, aims to strengthen the province’s rubber industry by improving the consolidation, processing and marketing of rubber products.
The project is expected to expand farmers’ access to markets, create opportunities to add value to their produce and help participating growers secure better returns from their rubber.
A Subproject Appraisal Review is scheduled for Oct. 28-29, followed by a targeted Regional Project Advisory Board deliberation on Nov. 5, subject to the submission of complete documentary requirements and the necessary clearances.
The appraisal and board deliberation are key steps in the project’s evaluation and approval process. The proposed investment has not yet received final funding approval, and its implementation remains subject to the completion of the requirements.
The continuing coordination among DA-PRDP Mindanao, the regional project office, and the provincial government is intended to ensure that the proposed enterprise is technically sound, financially viable and sustainable.
For the province’s 1,189 prospective farmer-beneficiaries, the project could strengthen their participation in the rubber value chain, from production to processing and marketing, potentially allowing them to capture a greater share of the industry’s economic benefits. (with reports from Joseph John Palarca/Edited by AM)
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