The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII) with rice industry players across four provinces in Eastern Visayas. This initiative aims to formulate a Regional Value Chain Analysis (VCA) for rice, ensuring a data-driven approach in strengthening the sector.

The primary goal of the activity includes, identifying and mapping key players, processes, and flows within the rice value chain; collecting critical data to assess the current state of the rice industry in Eastern Visayas; encourage stakeholder collaboration for a more comprehensive value chain study.

The activity will employ FGDs and KIIs with rice farmers, market players, and local government units (LGUs) to gather relevant insights. The collected data will be used to draft a value chain map, highlighting key opportunities and constraints.

The fieldwork was conducted from February 17 to 27, 2025, covering the provinces of Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Biliran, and Southern Leyte. A total of 226 participants—including farmers, agricultural extension workers, and policymakers contributed to the discussions.

The activity is set to deliver a comprehensive value chain map for rice in Eastern Visayas and produce data-driven insights to guide policy decisions and investment priorities and strengthen collaboration between farmers, traders, and policymakers.

This initiative underscores PRDP’s commitment to enhancing the rice sector through evidence-based planning and multi-stakeholder engagement. The findings from this study will highlight supposed strategies to improve rice production, market access, and overall value chain efficiency in Eastern Visayas.