Bagac, BATAAN – The groundworks have started for the P4.8 million Plant Nursery and Consolidation Facility for Sweet Potato Clean Planting Materials (CPM) in Barangay Binukawan, a project funded under the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP).

Recently, on March 4, 2021 the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO 3) led by I-BUILD Rural Infrastructure Engineer Mary Joyce Quiros with I-REAP Business Development Officer (BDO) Carissa Padilla-Cabubus, Social Environmental and Safeguards (SES) Associate Prince Roy Cruz, Geomapping and Governance GIS Data Officer Alvin Mariano and I-REAP Project Development Associate (PDA) Danilo Ramoso Jr. conducted a joint inspection to gauge the current status and physical accomplishment of the subproject.

According to Engr. Quiros, the subproject is built in a 477.85 square meter lot owned by the proponent group, Binukawan Bagac Marketing Cooperative (BBMC).

She also disclosed that the subproject has attained 40.39% in its physical accomplishment and is expected to be completed by the second quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, BDO Cabubus stated the project aimed to sustain CPM by improving productivity and growth through the introduction of new technologies in planting and propagating sweet potato.

“The plant nursery and consolidation facility are strategic initiatives to provide assistance to the cooperative to help reduce operating costs and increase efficiency,” Cabubus added.

Efforts are currently underway to increase the income of some 38 member-farmers likewise the production of sweet potato CPMs by at least 30%.

In addition, the enterprise is seen to deliver 29,213 bundles of CPMs to buyers and growers of sweet potato in the provinces of Bataan, Pampanga and Zambales during the first year of its operation.

The DA-PRDP funded project is bent in benefitting the farmers and the province to gain economically. (MA. REINA LEN G. LUNA, RPCO3 InfoACE)