‘Development comes with challenges’ said Fr. Romando Canao in his sermon during the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the Improvement and rehabilitation of the 16 kilometer Bulanao-Amlao farm-to-market road (FMR).

The ceremony was held at Barangay Balawag, Tabuk City, Kalinga last March 4, 2016.

Implemented under the I-BUILD Component of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), the FMR project has a total cost of P180,281,000.00.

‘Tadta ket marigatan kami nga mangi biyahe iti produkto mi kas kuma iti kape, mais, palay, saba, niyog ken daduma pay, isunga agpasalamat kami ta masimento daytoy kalsada ket dumanon to idjay ayan mi,’ (It is hard for us to transport our products such as coffee, rice, corn, banana, and coconut among others, that’s why we are grateful that the road will now be concreted and will reach our town) said Edwardo Tawacnig, a farmer from barangay Proper Amlao, Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Based on the value chain analysis for coffee in the province, low productivity and high transportation cost of agricultural inputs to the farms and outputs to market centers due to poor road condition is the major constraint to the development of coffee industry.

The concreting of the FMR subproject that will cover barangay Bulanao, Malin-awa, Balawag, Amlao, Suyang, and Lucog benefitting around 5,670 residents with 1,207 households in its influence area. It is expected to increase agricultural production through convenient access of basic farm inputs and production expansion.

Moreover, Tawacnig added that due to the condition of the road, farmers are discouraged to plant coffee because of high transportation and hauling costs.

Hitler Baculi, a coffee farmer from Malin-awa said that farmers will be encouraged to expand and maintain their coffee plantations. ‘Ma-engganyo ti kakadwa nga farmers nga agmula iti kape ken mang mentenar ti kakape-an da,’ he said.

Aside from increasing coffee productivity, Baculi added that the concreting of the FMR subproject will also be beneficial and convenient for the students and the sick.

‘Partners tayo tadta’, emphasized Engr. Gaston Cael, RPCO-CAR I-BUILD Component Head during the Pre-Construction Conference held at the Provincial Capitol of Kalinga on March 1, 2016 prior to the conduct of ground breaking ceremonies in Pangol, Tanudan and in Balawag, Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Cael reiterated that each and everyone have their own obligations, rather roles to play with the implementation of the FMR subprojects.

Expressing the same sentiments, Project Support Office (PSO) Luzon-A Cluster Deputy Project Director Elma S. Mananes advised the contractors of the FMR subprojects to follow specifications of the projects and challenged the beneficiaries and barangay executives to help in the monitoring of the projects.

In response, Provincial Governor Jocel C. Baac assured that the projects will be implemented properly and in quality.

The implementation of the FMR subprojects will inaugurate on March 14, 2016 and is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2017.

PRDP is a six-year development project under the DA funded through a loan from the World Bank, with counterparts from the national government (DA) and local government units. It is designed to contribute to the national goals of inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction. (Elvy Taquio, DA-PRDP RPCO-CAR InfoACE Unit)

Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Improvement of the Bulanao-Amlao FMR in Tabuk City led by Hon. Jocel C. Baac, Provincial Governor of Kalinga accompanied by the Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) and other personnel from the Province.