As part of its continuing support to strengthen farmer enterprises, the PRDP RPCO 8 conducted an Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach (AECA) Orientation and Formation of Pilot Banana Clusters for the members and officers of the OFMPC from March 4-6, 2026 in Tabango, Leyte.

The DA-RFO8, through the RAED in coordination with the BAFE, conducted the ABEMIS and GEOAGRI National Workshop and Assessment. The event convened 65 ABE focal persons, engineers, technical staff, and IT programmers from various DA regional offices across the country.

The Philippine Rural Development Project, spearheaded by the RPCO 8, in close coordination with the PSO-Visayas, and together with the representatives from the OFMPC, successfully conducted the final inspection of a 32-footer Wing Van Truck under the I-REAP Subproject ‘Eastern Visayas Banana Processing and Marketing Enterprise’ (EVBPME) this March 5, 2026.

The PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office 8 successfully held the bid opening for the construction of a Banana Processing Center under the Eastern Visayas Banana Processing and Marketing Enterprise (EVBPME) on March 3, 2026, at the OFMPC Head Office in Brgy. Omaganhan, Tabango.

The DA RFO VIII, through its Livestock Program, formally turned over a 300-head capacity biosecure swine facility to the Sinirangan Agriculture Cooperative (SACoop) under the INSPIRE Program on March 6, 2026, in Barangay Timala, Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

The 2025 Rice Derby recorded a remarkable highest yield of 8.38 metric tons per hectare, achieved by Aljay Agro Industrial, Inc., as annouced during the Exit Conference in Hinunangan, Southern Leyte, on March 6, 2026, raising hopes that scientifically-driven and evidence-based farming methodologies could help augment regional rice production and propel the region towards food security.

In a consolidated effort toward unified and market-driven rice development, the Department of Agriculture – National Rice Program (NRP) successfully conducted the FY 2026 1st MRIDP Clustering and Consolidation Workshop on February 23–27, 2026 at The Tropics, MacArthur Park, Palo, Leyte.

The PRDP, through its RPCO 8 conducted data gathering activities for the PRDP Scale-Up Midterm Evaluation Study on January 28 to 30, in line with its continuing efforts to assess project performance and improve the delivery of rural development interventions.