DA allots P216 M for Caraga farm roads

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture has turned over P216 million worth of agricultural support to the Caraga region that includes funding for the construction of farm-to-market roads.

The support package includes the P208 million budget for the construction of five farm-to-market roads (FMRs) for which a notice to proceed was given by the World Bank under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) implemented by the DA.

The Caraga region comprises the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands.

“The DA is committed to provide resilient and quality roads for our farmers by providing concreted FMR that can withstand any weather conditions ensuring the flow of goods from farms to markets,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said.

Alcala said the five FMRs would help in the development of agri enterprises in the region such as abaca production and marketing in Agusan del Norte and rubber production and marketing in Agusan del Sur.

Local government units that choose to participate in the PRDP are required to provide counterpart funds of 10 percent of the project cost for production support for commodities and 20 percent of cost for infrastructure projects.