ZAMBOANGA CITY – Some 1,788 farmers in Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay are expected to benefit from a completed PHP50 million concrete farm-to-market road (FMR) project facilitated by the Department of Agriculture–Zamboanga Peninsula (DA-9).
In a statement Thursday, DA-9 Director Rad Donn Cedeño said the road is under the agency's Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), a six-year national project that aims to establish a modern, value chain-oriented, and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector.
Cedeño, who also serves as the PRDP regional project director, said the FMR has a span of 2.99 kilometers linking Barangay San Antonio to Sitio Balucon in nearby San Isidro village.
Ferdinand Gamorot, PRDP deputy project director, handed over the project Wednesday to Titay Mayor Leonardo Talania.
Gamorot said the project's primary benefit is to reduce farming production costs for Barangays San Antonio and San Isidro as well as in neighboring areas.
These farmers, he said, are involved in rice production, rubber, coconut, banana, mango, and corn.
“The newly concreted road…will facilitate the fast movement of agricultural inputs and products as well encourage investments,” he said.
He noted that investors would usually check on the viability of the road in terms of logistics in case of investing in agriculture and other industries.
Meanwhile, Talania said they are looking forward to another FMR in the town.
“We are hopeful that we can be given more as we need to concrete 10 more kilometers up to the boundary of Titay to R.T. Lim town,” the mayor said in a separate statement.
He said they have available PHP10 million fund for another FMR project under the DA-PRDP initiative. (PNA)
