BUTUAN CITY -- Big bulk of coconut, coffee and banana growers and rice and vegetable farmers, including the small businesses in the far-flung villages are now enjoying the completed farm-to-market roads (FMRs) built under the ‘Build Better More’ Program (BBMP), resulting in a boost to the economy and development in this region’s fast-rising frontier and capital city of Butuan in Northeastern Mindanao (The Caraga Region).
“This all-weather completed FMRs will really boost the growing economy of this city while also improving the living condition of our farmers in the countryside,” Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Director Engr. Pol M. Delos Santos told The Manila Bulletin on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
In his progress report to DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, the top DPWH official in Caraga region cited the completion of this new FMRs that is expected to provide the farmers faster and safer route to transport their produce and farm goods to Agusan del Norte’s market centers.
Director Delos Santos said the 1.125-kilometer concrete road is a shorter and better access for farmers of Barangay Antongalon to Barangay Basag, with the paved road connected to the highway at NRJ Agusan – Davao Road (Daang Maharlika), Butuan City.
"This FMR boosts local economy by providing a faster and cheaper means of transporting agricultural products, which will then encourage our farmers to maximize their outputs all-year round,” stressed the DPWH official.
Echoing the instruction of Secretary Bonoan, Director Delos Santos said that DPWH will continue to carry out the “Build Better More” Program (BBMP) and will also prioritize projects that support agricultural productivity that will contribute to the much-needed economic recovery.
With a total allocation of ₱17 million, the road project in the said area was implemented by the DPWH Butuan City District Engineering Office (DEO).
On the other hand, businesses, shippers, passengers and villagers in the Northeaster side of this city will now experience easier mobility of goods and services with the completed road project.
Regional Director Delos Santos said that the 322.5-meter road concreting project was constructed with a ₱5-million allocation.
"This road project gives relief to the locals as they are now ensured of safer, convenient travel, as well as a local economic boost since transport of goods to and from the market is now quicker,” said Delos Santos.
Prior to the road concreting, the road is almost impassable especially during the rainy season due to potholes, mud, and stagnant flood water.
The road improvement project in Barangay Lumbocan was implemented by the DPWH Butuan City DEO.
Meanwhile, a newly-completed P158.9 million FMR is also seen to enhance the connectivity of farmers' groups in far-flung barangays in the southern part of this city.
The concreting of Lauan to Tud-ol FMR, spanning 9.82 kilometers was turned over by the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) to the city government and to the beneficiary barangays of Tungao and San Mateo on Nov. 10 at Purok 27, Barangay Tungao, also this city.
This FMR was funded by the World Bank and the Philippine Government through the DA, in partnership with the city government of Butuan headed by City Mayor Ronnie Vicente C. Lagnada.
Before the concrete road, the Higaonon tribe, farmers, producers, and community members endured long and arduous journeys to get to Tungao and vice-versa.
Spoiled and damaged goods from long hours of traveling through a dangerous road became the norm for farmers trying to get their products delivered to the market, while community members also had difficulty accessing services, leading to adverse, if not life-endangering effects, to their health, DA 13 Regional Information Office chief Ms. Emmylou T. Presilda said.
“The completion of this FMR signals an increased access to businesses, markets, suppliers, and community services,” the region’s DA 13 information office chief said.
This new FMR will help ease the farmers' delivery of their vegetable, banana, corn, coffee and coconut produce to markets in the city, it said.
More than 400 farming families from Barangay Tungao will directly benefit from this new FMR, while this road will also serve more than 1,000 farming households in Barangays San Mateo and Tungao, particularly those cooperative members there.
More than 500 families are now into rubber production covering 1,200 hectares of land in said two barangays, Ms. Presilda said.
Some of the cooperative members there are also into banana farming covering some 200 hectares, coffee with 80 hectares, corn with 100 hectares, and rice 20 hectares.
The road was part of the two projects released by the PRDP to the KM7 Cooperative in 2018; the other was the Rubber Production and Marketing Project with a total cost of P22 million, it was also gathered.
In another development, big number of farmers, especially the mango and coconut growers, small business entrepreneurs and community folks have also the reason to enjoy following the completion of its initial road concreting projects being implemented by the DPWH in the northeastern part in the fast-growing town of Carmen, in Agusan del Norte province.
In his progress report to Sec. Bonoan and Regional Director Delos Santos, Agusan del Norte DEO District Engineer (DE) Edmund V. Opinion said the continuation of this road concreting development projects in agricultural-rich town of Carmen, such as the newly completed concreting of Tagcatong-Balatakan Road (Phase ll), is very much helping the community transport their farm products to the market.
With a contract amount of P19,565,415, the Tagcatong-Balatakan Road (Phase ll) Project started on Feb. 9, 2022, and was recently completed with a concrete road length of 676 meters, he said.
“Aside from the joyous mango and coconut farmers, the construction of these all-weather road communities paves way to an active development again of local businesses in the area,” DE Opinion pointed out.
“This new road will also surely boost the agricultural business to the small-and- medium enterprises there,” stressed the top Agusan del Norte-DEO official, in an interview with The Manila Bulletin.
“They (farmers, businesses) are now benefiting from these development road concreting projects,” DE Opinion added.
Funded under the 2022 General Appropriation Act (GAA), the project will help to improve economic flow along the Tagcatong-Balatakan Road stretch, it said.