3rd FMR to benefit more coffee farmers in Kalinga approved for PRDP funding
Another farm-to-market road is set to be rehabilitated in the province of Kalinga, to be funded under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) benefitting more coffee producers in the Province.
The PRDP’s National Project Coordinating Office (NPCO) issued a “No Objection” letter to the awarding of contract to Omengan Construction Development Corporation for the subproject “Improvement of Catabbogan-Wagud Farm to Market Road”, a 13.5 kilometer gravel stretch located in the Municipality of Pinukpuk, Kalinga.
The road project has a total influence area of 15,513 hectares endowed with agricultural products such as coffee, rice, corn, banana, cocounut and various fruits in all its seven covered barangays namely, Cataboggan, Malagnat, Taggay, Ammacian, Wagud, Aciga and Sacpil.
As gleaned from Kalinga’s provincial data, the subproject shall benefit around 1,631 households that are within the road influence area with at least 8,662 beneficiaries, all of which comprises indigenous peoples who are all engaged in farming as the main source of income.
Pinukpuk was identified as the second largest producer of coffee in terms of area planted and volume to Robusta Coffee next to Tanudan where the first farm-to-market road funded by the PRDP is located.
“The project, which costs Php195,560,966.37, was prioritized based on its level of contribution to each of the criteria identified such as production area, magnitude of farmers/beneficiaries served, volume of production and other economic potentials,” said Engr. Domingo Bakilan, Provincial Agriculturist and Head of the Provincial Project Management Implementing Unit of Kalinga.
“This is the third subproject to be funded by the PRDP in the Province of Kalinga within its third year of implementation. Kalinga was identified as one of the top producers of Robusta Coffee in the country, and coffee was identified as the number one commodity prioritized for the Cordillera Administrative Region under the PRDP,” said Engr. Danilo P. Daguio, Deputy Project Director of the PRDP RPCO. (Mabel Zabala, DA-PRDP InfoACE RPCO CAR)