The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has signaled the rehabilitation of a farm-to-market road (FMR) in Sagbayan, Bohol, the first infrastructure sub-project under the PRDP to be implemented in Central Visayas.

With a budget of P48.2 million, the rehabilitation of the 5.9-kilometer FMR will benefit about 2,000 farmers and will support 1,256 hectares of land planted to rice, corn, coconut, banana, vegetables and rootcrops. The sub-project is implemented under the I-BUILD component (infrastructure development) of the PRDP.

“Farmers will benefit from this project as it will lessen travel time and transport cost in bringing their produce to the market, resulting to better income and opportunities,” PRDP-Visayas Cluster Project Support Office Director Roy Abaya said.

The road connects four barangays, namely, San Agustin, Canmaya Centro, Kagawasan and Canmaya Diot.

Governor Chatto said that the FMR will not only serve the four barangays, but also be an alternate route for farmers and commuters traveling to and from the towns of Danao and Clarin, ushering development in these areas.

Meanwhile, Sagbayan Mayor Ricardo Suarez said that their municipality needs the project as most of the houses and roads were [adversely] affected by the 2013 earthquake. This has made the livelihood of farmers difficult, especially in transporting farm products to the market.

Sagbayan is one of the municipalities badly hit by the 2013 Bohol earthquake.

As of August 2015, Bohol has a total of P158.9 million in FMR projects approved for funding under the PRDP.

The PRDP is a six-year national project that aims to establish a modern, inclusive, value-chain oriented and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. It is implemented through the partnership of the DA, the World Bank and local government units. (CDelaVictoria InfoACE RPCO7)