Towards attainment of the commodity industry’s goals and targets for short-, medium-, and long-term growth, DA, through the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), launched various agriculture and fisheries commodity industry roadmaps (CIRs) during the DA Management Committee Meeting on 17 June 2022 in Quezon City. 

With the tapped services and expertise of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, the CIRs aimed to reach the various industries’ objectives through integration of their perspectives, current situation and performance, detailing science-based and consultation strategies.

 Acknowledging the significant roles of the government, private sector, the development of CIRs convened industry players, academe experts, farmer cooperatives, and other stakeholders.

 The 20 CIRs covered high value crops; fisheries and aquaculture; and poultry, livestock and corn following a value-chain approach from production to consumption.  

Specifically for high value crops, CIRs for abaca, coffee, cacao, vegetable, mango, banana, onion, and coconut were crafted. CIRs for shellfish, shrimp, seaweed, tilapia, and milkfish were also developed. Dairy, carabao, small ruminants, hog, poultry broiler, poultry layer, and yellow corn were the focus of the Poultry, Livestock, and Corn CIRs. 

CIRs also contain the identified key demand drivers and market prospects (local/international), as well as recommended interventions and strategies vis-à-vis required resources. 

DA-BAR, as the lead coordinating agency for agriculture and fisheries research for development of the department, co-funded with PCAF the development and updating of the CIRs. The initial inputs of the updated CIRs also came as a result of the conducted National and Regional Food Security Summit organized by the DA in 2021. (### Ma. Eloisa H. Aquino)