Concreted road traversing Brgy. Casacon. (Photo by RPCO9)

Reaping benefits from DA-PRDP’s FMR project

Date Published: November 3, 2020

Zamboanga Sibugay- Casacon Barangay Captain Ernest T. Geriane, Jr. could still hear the words of this father that a barangay would not develop, unless there is a better road.

It was in 2014 when the rehabilitation and concreting of the 3.64 kilometers Brgy. Casacon-Tilasan farm-to-market road subproject started under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project.

This farm-to-market road worth P38 million now supports the transportation of different commodities in the area particularly the rubber, rice, banana, corn, and other cash crops like vegetables and fruits.

Geriane recalled how costly it was for farmers to deliver their products where they had to haul their cup lumps twice which doubled their expenses before they reached the buyers. During those times, it was even the buyer who dictated the price for their products.

Now with the concreted road, as many as 10 buyers would come over during the rubber trading day which they conduct every 5th and 20th of the month. Farmers even now have the luxury of demanding better price through biddings. The buyer who offers the highest buying price in a slated trading day is the one who solely gets their rubber.

Tilasan Barangay Captain Adela Hersamio also accounted all the benefits they gained from the project since 2016 when the project was still on going until it was fully completed.

“Looking back, our farmers were on the losing side. Unlike today, they have the advantage because the buyers are the ones coming over here which means a reduction to farmer’s transportation cost. It’s also easier to market our products and we can now demand for a better price,” said Hersamio.

“For our banana, buyers used to pay double for the hauling expenses, in effect, they would buy the bananas at very low price from the farmers. But with the accessibility brought by this road, we now experience fair and just price,” she added.

For Joel Casabuena, a 62-year old farmer from Purok Bamboo, Tilasan, he expressed contentment on their current situation saying, “this is what we can brag to our children. This is what we have dreamt about long before and now it has finally come.”

“Through this road, transporting our produce to market is no longer difficult and it is hassle free,” said Casabuena.

The provision of better access for the farmers is a means to attain the main goal of PRDP – to increase rural incomes, increase farm and fishery productivity in targeted areas. With better access in place, farmers are expected to mark a sustainable increase in production and deliver a marketable surpluses of the commodities in the area.

According to Geriane, in just three (3) years after its completion in early 2017, the number of households here has increased tremendously from 178 to 363 already. People choose to settle near the road for easy and fast mobility. Aside from that, infrastructure projects have mushroomed here that dramatically help uplift the living and socio-economic condition of the people in Casacon.

Hersamio, on the other hand, shared delight and satisfaction from the all-weather road.

“I can see happy faces of my people because we have already several vehicles plying to and from the marketplace. We are truly full of joy and delight that cannot be measured because of PRDP.”  (Remai Alejado, RPCO9 | Joy M. Montecalvo, PSO Mindanao)

 

 

 

 

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