Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga recently assessed its 2016 performance together with the partners from the provincial local government units to ensure that implementation of projects is well executed and to evaluate the impact of interventions to the farmers and fishers in the region.

“We should constantly coordinate to ascertain that the Department’s guidelines are enforced and project implementation mechanisms are enhanced,” said Josefa Gidacan, Chief of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PMED).

Based on the report, the Department’s overall physical accomplishment for CY 2016 reached 99% and financial accomplishment of 85%. “These may be good figures, but we still need to efficiently utilize the budget entrusted to us,” Gidacan said.

DA works with the budget based on the interventions set by its Banner Programs such as Rice, Corn, Livestock, Organic Agriculture and High Value Crops Development which emanate from the proposals of the provincial and municipal local government units.

The review and assessment provided an avenue among the provincial commodity focal persons to measure the province’s performance in connection to its physical and financial targets. This assured that the milestones for agricultural development are closely monitored and crucial issues and concerns are appropriately resolved.

Streamlining the process into the DA would mean that all project proposals from the province should be based on the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) in order to systematize the request for interventions. “PCIP not only serves as a map for the direction of the province, but it is also very useful in our prioritization of projects,” said Agusan del Norte Provincial Agriculturist Alvin Aclan.

Other than the review and assessment of targets and the challenges for CY 2017, the occasion also made way to introduce to the provincial counterparts the new OIC Regional Executive Director Alberto Ocampo, Jr.

Ocampo enriches the importance of good partnership with provincial counterparts and encourages them to continue on working together for the challenges this year and be motivated that all the works done is for the improvement of the lives of the farmers and fisherfolk. (Fretcher D. Magatao, DA-13)