Adhering to President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directives to attain food security in the country, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are partnering for the implementation of the five-year Project on Market-Driven Enhancement of Vegetable Value Chain in the Philippines (MV2C).

The MV2C is a technical cooperation project that aims to improve the Philippine vegetable value chain, therefore encouraging higher yield and income for farmers and achieving food security, availability, accessibility, and affordability to every Filipino.

Within five years of its implementation, a vegetable value chain roadmap is expected to be developed. The said roadmap will be necessary in identifying challenges and solutions in the value chain, as well as in determining the roles of every stakeholder.

The project commenced with a value chain survey in selected vegetable-producing provinces like Benguet and Quezon, where the MV2C pilot projects are also expected to be implemented. These projects shall include innovative solutions to promote efficiency along the vegetable value chain.

A series of workshops were also conducted this month to validate the survey results and to present the drafted roadmap. These workshops were attended by vegetable farmers, government agencies, members of the academe, and the private sector, who all expressed support and commitment towards the action plans and projects under the MV2C. ### (Krystelle Ymari A. Vergara, DA-AFID)