Geotagging activity of the on going farm to market road before its construction P57 M paved road to connect abaca farms to market
ALABEL, Sarangani, Aug. 30 – Construction of the P57 million Kanalo-Nomoh farm-to-market road (FMR) in Maasim is underway and is expected to be completed “in less than a year,” according to Engr. Gerald Faciol, assistant provincial administrator for operations.
Faciol said this 5-km concrete road which broke ground on July 17 was among the province’s proposed projects submitted for funding to the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
“We proposed this March of last year, and it was approved in just two months,” he said.
Jointly funded by Department of Agriculture–PRDP through the World Bank, and the provincial government, the Kanalo-Nomoh FMR would benefit 4,077 people comprised mostly of Indigenous Peoples (IP) and will cover an area of 1,185 hectares between barangays Kanalo and Nomoh.
Faciol said the provincial government will have a financial counterpart of 10% of the cost of the project.
“This will be a catalyst for development,” said Faciol. “Not only in terms of potential agriculture, but also it will be easy for the government to deliver social services.”
Nomoh is widely known for producing abaca, which according to Faciol is the main commodity considered for the approval of the P57 M fund from PRDP.
Despite being productive in terms of agriculture, transportation of main crops including coconut, corn, banana, and coffee has been a difficulty because of the rugged and bumpy dirt roads leading to the barangay proper.
While the path connecting to its sitios where farms are located can only be accessed by motorcycle or habal-habal, most of the time farmers bore the burden of carrying their own products.
The PRDP “is a six-year national project under the Department of Agriculture (DA) that aims to establish a modern, value chain-oriented and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector.” Also, the project provides “key infrastructure, facilities, technology and information to raise incomes, productivity and competitiveness in targeted areas.” (Jori Mae Samillano/SARANGANI COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE)
