Typhoon Odette in December 2021 left a dent in the cashew industry in the Province of Palawan. In fact, according to the Municipal Agriculturist of Roxas, Palawan Edgar Padul, only 10% of the total cashew plantation was left in their municipality after the typhoon; a depressing number as Roxas prides itself to be the Cashew Capital of the country. The same situation can be seen in Puerto Princesa City, with cashew farmers personally testifying to the terror they went through during and after the typhoon.

“Nitong Odette, madaming kahoy ang tumumba, bagsak ang kasoy namin. Ang kasoy kasi is isang taon, isang cropping lang. Kasoy capital ang Roxas ng Pilipinas tapos wala kaming kasoy,” Aida Quimay, a cashew farmer from Roxas, Palawan, lamented.

A year after the onslaught, cashew farmers are still trying to get back to their feet. Fortunately, the Construction of Maruyugon to Buenavista Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) made the recovery process a little more bearable through the provision of a concrete road which made emergency response and delivery of goods easier.

“Natumba ‘yung mga puno, ‘yung mga kawayan. Pero nagtulong-tulong na kami at ‘yung mga may chainsaw na maliliit. Tulong-tulong na naglinis ang mga residente ng barangay. Mabilis na ‘yung aksyon kasi maganda na ‘yung kalsada,” Maruyugon Barangay Captain Camilo Dela Cruz testified.

Completed in December 2020, the 6.5-kilometer Maruyugon to Buenavista FMR benefits 1,305 households in three barangays, namely: Maruyugon, Lucbuan, and Buenavista. This subproject worth PhP117.99 million was completed for the improvement of the existing road and for the construction of an additional concrete farm-to-market road for cashew farmers in the area.

True to its objectives, the said FMR has indeed made the lives of the cashew farmers easier as reflected in the recently conducted Rapid Appraisal of Emerging Benefits (RAEB) by the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) MIMAROPA together with the Project Support Office (PSO) South Luzon last November 14-17, 2022.

RAEB is a tool used to evaluate the benefits of a completed subproject by comparing them with the subproject’s predetermined development objectives.

According to the RAEB results, the travel time from Barangay Buenavista to Barangay Maruyugon was reduced by an average of 60%, going down from two hours to just 40 minutes. An 80% decrease in hauling cost was also recorded from PhP100 per sack to only PhP20. Due to the smoother transport provided by the FMR, transport losses decreased by 40%, the annual losses going down from 464 kilograms to only 118.

These results were supported by actual farmers who benefitted from the subproject.

According to Phoebe Pinote, a cashew farmer from Brgy. Maruyugon, traveling has been significantly easier since they can now ride motorcycles instead of walking.

“Dati po sobrang hirap, nilalakad lang po namin ito at talaga pong bako-bako. Kalabaw lang halos ang nakakadaan. Pwedeng motor ‘pag hindi umulan. Pero ‘pag umulan, halos tao lang ang makadaan. Simula po noong ginawa ito [kalsada], napakalaking tulong po. Dalawang oras nilalakad dati, pag motor dati 30 minutes kasi kelangan mo magdahan-dahan, talagang malalaki ang mga bato, sisigaw ka talaga, delikado,” Pinote recalled.

On the other hand, cashew trader Rodolfo Landrito shared that due to the good road condition, they are able to preserve the quality of cashews.

“‘Yung mga kasoy dati na mahirap ilabas ay madali na at nagiging maganda na ang quality. Kasi pag inabot na sa bundok ng isang linggo bago mailabas, nasisira na yung mga buto. Ngayon na may kalsada na, ‘pag napuno na nila nang isang araw, nadadala na agad dito sa baba,” Landrito shared.

Landrito also noted his savings on hauling costs. “Sa transportation malaki ang pagbabago. [Dati] almost isang araw ang inaabot bago maibaba dito at mahal. Umaabot ng sampung piso isang sako ng produkto. Ngayon na meron nang kalsada, pwede na kunin ng sasakyan, gasolina na lang ang ginagastos. Inaabot lang ng 1.5 liters balikan, tapos ang karga ng isang multicab ay 20 sacks. Malaking tipid,” he added.

With the benefits that the Construction of Maruyugon to Buenavista FMR provides, cashew farmers are hopeful that the FMR will be instrumental in the recovery of the cashew industry in the province. (Danica A. Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)

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