The construction of the 2.79-kilometer farm-to-market road (FMR) from Bagong Silang to Macatoc in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro worth P20,660,781.05 is at least 87.84 percent complete.

According to Oni Dating-Ginoo, a farmer-resident in Brgy. Bagong Silang, the transfer of goods from the farm used to be very difficult until the construction of the said FMR.

The Concreting of Bagong Silang to Macatoc FMR is a priority investment under PRDP’s I-BUILD or infrastructure development component. It generally aims to uplift the socio-economic conditions of the communities in the FMR’s influence area by providing a more convenient access road for the farmers.

The said FMR is expected to eventually bring further development in the agricultural areas in terms of increased production and income.

This is a completed portion of the farm-to-market road in Brgy. Macatoc, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro. (Photo by Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)

Oriental Mindoro has become the focus of investments aiming to develop its calamansi industry. The province was even labeled as the “king” of calamansi in the country.

Victoria is the largest calamansi producer followed by Calapan City, Pola, Soccoro, Naujan, and Baco. In addition to calamansi, the said areas also produce other agricultural crops such as banana, rambutan, lansonez, coconut, durian, and rice.

“Sari-sari po ang prutas dito. Kung sa pag-transfer po ng aming kalakal ay napakaganda [nitong proyekto] (We have variety of fruits here. The project is very good if we talk about the transfer of our commodities),” Dating-Ginoo said.

PRDP is a six-year special project of the Department of Agriculture and World Bank designed to establish a more modern agri-fishery sector. Through partnerships with local government units and the private sector, it aims to provide key infrastructure and technology to raise income, productivity, and competitiveness in the country. ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)