Davao del Sur is primarily an agricultural province known for its coconut production.

They availed support from the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) to implement farm-to-market roads (FMR’s), other infrastructures, and enterprise subprojects (SP’s) that will help in the growing agricultural industry of the province.

To date, the province has 16 infrastructure and enterprise subprojects worth P1.246 billion. These are  implemented in seven (7) municipalities and two (2) cities including Malalag with two (2) I-BUILD SPs; Magsaysay with three (3) I-BUILD and one (1) I-REAP SPs; Hagonoy with one (1) I-BUILD SP; Matanao with one (1) I-BUILD; Sulop with one (1) I-BUILD; Padada one (1) I-REAP; Kiblawan one (1) IREAP; Digos city with one (1) IBUILD SP; and Davao City with  four (4) IREAP subprojects.

Of the sixteen subprojects, nine (9) subprojects are for the I-BUILD composed of seven (7) farm-to-market roads (FMR), one (1) FMR with bridge with a combined length of 74.35kms and 122.50 linear meters, and one (1) other infrastructure subprojects worth P1.182 billion.

farmers and traders can now traverse safely with the new FMR

The constructions of these farm-to-market roads provide better transportation to farmers in far flung communities.  For how many years, it has been their struggle to transport their goods from farm going to the market where it would take hours or a day to reach the center of trade.

Their usual modes of transportation were through carabao, horses, or walking. This resulted to damages caused by delay in delivery and rough roads where some vegetable were already rotten, some suffered from bruises that would lower its market value when it reaches the buyer.

The on-going implementation of these infrastructure projects aim to shorten the travel time  from farm to market and at the same time to increase traffic or number of vehicles traversing the area that would provide faster transportation services to locals and their agricultural products.

Two subprojects are already completed comprise of Poblacion-San Isidro-Tacul FMR with a length of 8.37km worth P95.5 million, and Barayong-Mabini-Bala-Upper Bala FMR measuring 12.11km worth P140 million both are located in Municipality of Magsaysay.

Aside from infrastructure subproject, Davao del Sur also has seven (7) enterprise subprojects particularly Organic Fairtrade Banana Chips Processing worth P11.6 million in Padada; Fermented Cacao Beans Trading and Marketing worth P8 million in Kiblawan; Cardava Banana Consolidation and Marketing Enterprise worth P7.9 million in Magsaysay; and Tablea Processing and Marketing Enterprise worth P6 million, abaca Processing and Marketing Enterprise worth P10.8 million, Cacao Production and Marketing of Dry-Fermented Beans worth P9 million, and Chocolate Processing Enterprise worth P10.3 million in Davao City.

Aside from one (1) completed subproject on cacao in Davao City, the rest of the enterprise projects are still under implementation.

Once completed, it is expected that each proponent group will be able to strengthen and develop viable agri-fishery based enterprises through efficient value chain of key regional agri-fishery product. (Joy M. Montecalvo)