By TARA YAP
ILOILO CITY – Two farm-to-market roads (FMRs) under construction are expected to boost agriculture trading in Aklan.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Region 6 is expediting the FMRs in Nabas and Batan.
“We will continue to partner with other government agencies to spur more economic opportunities for Aklanons and boost the agriculture and trade industries of the province,” said DPWH-6 Director Nerie Bueno.
In Nabas, the 1.3-kilometer, P14.9-million FMR constructed under the convergence program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and supervised by the DPWH-Aklan District Engineering Office runs from Barangay Matabana to Barangay Buenafortuna and has reinforced concrete-lined ditch and slope protection.
“When completed, the FMR is expected to better connect agricultural lands and fisheries to markets which will allow producers to transport their products to traders and consumers with relative ease,” said Bueno.
The FMR in Batan is 2.4-kilometers and will benefit the coconut processing industry of the town and can be an alternative road to Capiz.
It is a convergence project under the Roads Leveraging Industry and Trade (ROLL IT) program with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and will also reduce travel time and expand Aklan’s export market.