LOS BAÑOS, Laguna– The Project team from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) spearheaded by Dr. Matilde V. Maunahan, Study Leader for the Value Chain Analysis and Market Study Component of the DA-BAR funded project, Upgrading the Calamansi Value Chain towards Improving the Calamansi Industry in Oriental Mindoro, and University Researcher II of the Postharvest Horticulture Training and Research Center (PHTRC), will conduct a baseline study on input suppliers and calamansi processors in the province of Oriental Mindoro on 1-6 April 2019.
The team will undertake the activity with partners from the Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology (MinSCAT) and Local Government Units of Oriental Mindoro and Victoria. They will employ a backward tracing approach, with focus on the processed products of interest, namely, the calamansi concentrate and the ready-to-drink (RTD) juice.
Currently, there are eight existing calamansi processors in the province of Oriental Mindoro. The project team will conduct focused group discussions (FGD) with the processors, and key informant interviews (KII) with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI)-accredited plant nurseries operators. The FGD with local processors are purposively conducted to identify the farmers and traders that will be interviewed as part of the value chain analysis and market study.
This project was launched in October 2018, and is being implemented by SEARCA, in collaboration with UPLB, the LGU of Oriental Mindoro and Victoria, and MinSCAT until October 2020.
