FARM-TO-MARKET ROAD. An aerial view of the seven-kilometer farm-to-market road in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija now benefits some 2,000 residents and farmers in the area. The project, under the Philippine Rural Development Project of the Department of Agriculture, made it easier for the farmers to transport and deliver their farm produce to the markets. (Photo by DA-PRDP Central Luzon)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The completion of a seven-kilometer farm-to-market road in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija is a big help to farmers due to easier delivery of their agricultural products to major markets in the province.
Following the evaluation made by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), the PHP71.9 million R.A. Padilla to Bunga farm-to-market road (FMR) has been providing emerging benefits to the more than 2,000 residents in the town.
The road project started in January 2020 and was completed last year.
Farmer Guillermo Arquero, 69, narrated how the improved road helped him and his co-farmers in transporting and delivering his farm produce to the markets.
“At first, we had a rough road from Barangay Bunga going to town proper. But it’s now a concrete one because of DA-PRDP. The new road is a huge help because we can now immediately transport our products every harvest season to the town market instead of being perished,” Arquero said in Filipino in a video interview.
Greg Alputan, municipal agriculture officer, said with the new road, the travel time has been reduced by 50 percent.
“The travel time of the commuters from Barangay Bunga to Poblacion now only takes 10 to 15 minutes,” Alputan said.
Meanwhile, Carranglan Mayor Mary Abad thanked the national government on behalf of her constituents for the visible improvements brought about by the various PRDP subprojects in the town.
The DA-PRDP, through the I-BUILD component, sees that farmer-to-market roads are among the essential projects of the government’s initiative in building reliable infrastructure to enhance productivity in the countryside. (PNA)
