THE advisory board of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) has approved the construction and rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) in Region 6, which will cost P481.1 million.
The Department of Agriculture, which oversees the implementation of the World Bank-funded PRDP, said in a statement that FMRs in Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Aklan will be rehabilitated and constructed.
The P481.1 million FMR projects will include the rehabilitation of the Gomez-Zamora FMR in Pontevedra; Hinicayan-Violeta FMR in Silay City; and Crossing Martinez-Santo Intaplan FMR in Sagay City, all located in Negros Occidental.
For Iloilo, the approved sub-projects are the rehabilitation of the Parara-Jamog FMR in Tigbauan; Poblacion-Tacuyong Norte FMR in Leon; and Gines-Inagdangan Norte FMR in Zarraga.
Aklan projects include the rehabilitation and improvement of the 12.74-kilometer Banga-Libacao Road and Bridges, worth P99.72 million. The said bridges connecting the road from the municipalities of Banga and Libacao, Aklan, were destroyed by the typhoons Frank (international code name Fengshen) and Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) that struck the country in 2008 and 2013, respectively.
After approving these projects on May 8, the seven FMRs to be constructed in Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Aklan will be subjected for another level of review for funding the PRDP.
During the review, DA Regional Field Office Director Roy M. Abaya said the proponent must “clearly show” the linkage between the FMR and its enterprise component.
Under the PRDP, FMRs and other infrastructures to be constructed are aimed as support to the enterprise activities in their respective areas.
PRDP is a six-year project under the DA that aims to establish a modern, inclusive, value chain-oriented, and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. The PRDP will fund 90 percent of the project cost of these FMRs, while local government units will provide a 10-percent equity.
Through infrastructure projects, Abaya said the PRDP aims to reduce average travel time from farm to markets by half. FMRs will also improve traffic count by at least 60 percent.