The Province of Samar took another significant step toward enhancing its agricultural development strategies through the conduct of the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) Assessment held on November 25–28, 2025, in Catbalogan City under the support of the PRDP RPCO8.

The activity gathered representatives from provincial and local government units, technical staff, national government agencies, and key commodity stakeholders to review, validate, and enrich the province’s PCIP. The conducted assessment served as a venue for strengthening partnership and promoting a more harmonized approach in developing commodity value chains across the province.

The program opened with preliminaries and an overview of PRDP’s direction, emphasizing its continued collaboration with PLGUs and stakeholders in crafting strategic, data-driven investment plans. Updates on Eastern Visayas’ Value Chain Analysis (VCA) and the province’s PCIP status provided participants with a shared understanding of current achievements, gaps, and opportunities.

A major component of the activity was the conduct of simultaneous Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) involving PLGU teams, private sector representatives, and national government agencies. These sessions allowed participants to validate data, identify priority interventions, and provide sector-specific insights crucial for refining the Samar PCIP. The participatory nature of the discussions ensured that the plan reflects the actual needs and conditions of farmers, producers, and value chain actors on the ground.

By the following day, the plenary presentation of results highlighted consolidated findings and recommendations from all FGD groups. These outputs will guide the enhancement of the province’s PCIP, ensuring that proposed interventions are responsive, inclusive, and aligned with regional development directions. The session concluded with agreements on ways forward, reaffirming the commitment of all stakeholders to strengthen commodity value chain development in Samar.

The activity marks another meaningful stride toward empowering local institutions and ensuring that agricultural development planning remains grounded in collaboration, evidence, and community needs. Through activities like this, the province continues to build a stronger foundation for rural transformation and sustainable economic opportunities for farming communities.