The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office 8 (RPCO 8), through its Investment in Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Productivity (I-REAP) Component, successfully conducted a three-day Training-Workshop on Business Plan Preparation and Review for the proposed Jackfruit Development Enterprise (JaDE) under PRDP Scale-Up, on September 17–19, 2025, in Tacloban City.

The activity gathered 46 participants from the RPCO 8, City Project Management and Implementing Unit (CPMIU), the Burauen Jackfruit Growers Association (BJGA), and partner agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture – Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (DA-AMAD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Visayas State University (VSU).

With PRDP Scale-Up’s enhanced planning process, the workshop aims to validate and strengthen the business plan of the JaDE subproject—ensuring that its operational, financial, and marketing assumptions are realistic, evidence-based, and aligned with market demands. The review also serves as a prerequisite for the NPCO-PSO-RPCO Joint Technical Review (JTR) and subsequent Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) deliberation.

Throughout the three-day session, participants engaged in lectures, presentations, and critiquing sessions facilitated by technical experts from the PRDP components and partner institutions. Key discussions covered business model validation, marketing and operational strategies, infrastructure requirements, financial projections, governance and gender considerations, as well as social and environmental safeguards.

The workshop concluded with the presentation of review findings and recommendations, which will guide the proponents in refining the business plan for compliance and final clearance.

This initiative underscores PRDP’s commitment to strengthening enterprise development by equipping local project implementers and stakeholders with the technical capacity to build viable, inclusive, and sustainable agri-based enterprises in Eastern Visayas.