THE 5-kilometer farm-to-market road (FMR) project that traverses the towns of Mawab and Maco in Compostela Valley province will serve the needs of the area’s 17,000 farmer-residents.
The P53.13-million FMR project under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) will be serving the barangays of Nuevo Iloco and Andili in Mawab and barangays Kinuban and Panibasan in Maco.
Most of the residents of these barangays are farmers tending to banana, cacao, rice, corn and coconut in both towns.
Speaking during the turnover ceremony held on September 7 in Mawab, Gov. Tyron Uy lauded the counterparting scheme of which the DA complemented the limited resources of
the province.
“The development funds in our province are not enough and we are glad the DA through the PRDP enabled us to improve our road network to help our farmers transport their produce,” Uy said.
He said the benefits of the road network are fully maximized as it connects residents from both towns, making the delivery of basic products more accessible.
“This FMR opens up more social and economic opportunities to both towns, as well as the whole province in terms of easy access, lesser travel time and fewer expenses in the delivery of inputs from the market to the farm and vice versa,” said Ma. Fe Gabunales, infrastructure head of PRDP Mindanao Office.
Shorter travel time has hastened the transport of farm produce and reduces postharvest losses, Mawab Mayor Ruperto Gonzaga III said.
“It would take 20 minutes from Barangay Andili to reach the town’s market, but with the new road network, it will only take two minutes,” he said.
Maco Mayor Alvera Veronica Rimando recounted the difficulties of her constituents in transporting their products due to the inadequate road network.
“They usually get sick, especially during the rainy season, when rain suddenly pours while they are transporting their products,” she said.
Uy urged the local officials and beneficiaries to look into the maintenance and operations of the road to sustain the project.
“Aside from FMRs, we are also partnering with the DA-PRDP on agricultural enterprise projects to improve our farmers’ incomes,” Uy said.