Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol will lead on August 8 the groundbreaking of the P130 million-worth, 10.87-kilometer long farm-to-market road (FMR) in the island province of Guimaras.

The rehabilitation/concreting of Bugnay-Sapal-Maabay FMR is an infrastructure project of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) and the provincial government of Guimaras. The total project cost is P130,124,660.91.

The FMR will cover four barangays in three municipalities: Bugnay in Jordan; Constancia and Sapal in San Lorenzo; and Maabay in Sibunag. It will also indirectly benefit at least 10 barangays in four municipalities: Piña, Gaban, Tamborong and Sebario in San Lorenzo; Agsanayan and Tinadtaran in Buenavista; Alaguisoc in Jordan; and Millan, Tanglad and Ayangan in Sibunag.

“The FMR is vital in the agro-economic activity in the area because it will connect north and south Guimaras,” said Manuel O. Olanday, deputy project director of the DA-PRDP’s Regional Project Coordination Office 6. “Some 26,634 Guimarasnon farmers who are engaged in mango, rice, corn, coconut, and sweet potato production will benefit from the project because it is seen to reduce by 15 percent the [farmers’] travel time from the production areas to the market. Lesser travel time translates to lower spoilage when they transport their produce—lower by three percent.”

The project will benefit producers, traders, and the rural population in general, he stressed.

Since Guimaras is into mango and rice production, Olanday said the FMR will be most beneficial to the farmers because it will reduce by as much as 40 percent the hauling cost of these products. It will also reduce the hauling of farm inputs by at least 20 percent.

In addition, it will be a big boost to Guimaras’ livestock industry, he said. The province is a major source of native chicken, goat and cattle that are supplied in Iloilo City.

“The FMR is also seen to increase the volume of traffic along its road influence area. This means that it can spur other activities in these barangays. For example, some residents can put up sari–sari stores to augment the family’s income, while the schoolchildren will have a faster and easier travel to and from school,” said Olanday.

The rehabilitation/concreting of Bugnay-Sapal-Maabay FMR is an infrastructure project of the PRDP’s Infrastructure Development component that aims to establish strategic and climate-resilient rural infrastructures along priority commodity value chains. These infrastructure networks will link production areas to markets and increase productivity.

Also in attendance in the groundbreaking are Congresswoman Ma. Lucille L. Nava, Guimaras governor Samuel T. Gumarin, San Lorenzo mayor Ninfa G. Gajo and DA 6 Regional Executive Director Remelyn R. Recoter, MNSA, CESO III.

ABOUT PRDP

The PRDP is a six-year, World Bank-assisted national project under the Department of Agriculture that aims to establish a modern, inclusive, value chain-oriented and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector.

In partnership with local government units and the private sector, the Project provides key infrastructure, facilities, technology and information to raise incomes, productivity and competitiveness in targeted areas.

Likewise, the Project aims to strengthen good governance, transparency and accountability mechanisms at all stages of the project cycle. Moreover, it intends to operationalize a local-level convergence platform among stakeholders to synergize DA programs and projects, facilitating the implementation of more relevant interventions that benefit a bigger segment of farmers and fishers, ushering them toward inclusive growth. (John Paul Firmalino Cadiz, RPCO 6, Writer)