By Mike Crismundo
BUTUAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday reported the completion of a P34 million worth of farm-to-market road (FMR) in Esperanza town, Agusan del Sur province.
Rice farming / Photo courtesy of Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol via Facebook / Manila Bulletin
Officials of the DA 13-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) recently turned over the FMR to local government unit officials in that town.
The 2.9-kilometer Lumbia-Mabao FMR will directly benefit 3,036 individuals or 885 farming households. The intervention from the government was built to support the rubber industry in the province and farmers planting high-value crops in the locality, it said.
In a statement, DA 13 Caraga Regional Director Abel James Monteagudo said the agency was working hard, along with the officials of Esperanza town, to support the farmers with not just road for easy transportation of agricultural produce, but also to equip the farmers and farmers’ associations with the necessary tools and equipment to increase production.
Sitios Lumbia and Mabao are the areas in Barangay Dakutan where some farmers also plant rubber trees other than just growing corn. Many farmers also planting corn, high-value crops and other farm products in these areas.
DA-PRDP’s Infrastructure Component helps the producers, traders and the rural population through constructing FMRs, bridges, irrigation and potable water systems that are identified in the value chains of the products or commodities of the province or region.