The “Concreting and Rehabilitation of Bigaan – Caagutayan Farm-to-Market Road (FMR)” is the latest infrastructure added in the roster of Philippine Rural Development (PRDP) subprojects in MIMAROPA Region, particularly in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro.

On December 27, the MIMAROPA Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) approved the subproject with an estimated cost of P75 million. While calamansi remains as the top agricultural product of Oriental Mindoro, the province is advancing efforts to improve the production of its other abundant commodities like coconut.

The Project identified the Bigaan–Caagutayan FMR as one of significant interventions to help the poor road condition of the area and complement the coconut industry, particularly virgin coconut oil.

The 3.574-kilometer road will benefit coconut farmers and other residents of San Teodoro who are part of the Indigenous People (IP), particularly Mangyan organizations who live in the area. Coupled with interventions from other government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, values of  products from the municipality are expected to increase.

The improvement of the socio-economic condition of the community is part of the PRDP objectives—to increase the annual farm income of household beneficiaries and proponent groups of enterprise development subprojects. It also targets to raise the value of annual marketed output and the number of farmers and fisherfolk with improved access to the services of the Department of Agriculture.

“The very reason why we need to approve the FMR is to transport the products of the IPs to the market easily. The poor road condition and mode of transportation reduce the quality of these products. Especially when it rains, the products get spoiled because the farmers cannot access the road,” said Department of Agrarian Reform representative Ferdinand De Gala.

The construction of the said PRDP FMR is also expected to attract other investments and more assistances from various public and private agencies that will boost agricultural commodities in the area and advance the lives of the IP community. ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)

A geotagged photo of the Bigaan – Caagutayan Farm-to-Market Road in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro.