P155-M Farm-to-Market Road in Dinagat Islands Set to Boost Cassava Production
BUTUAN CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) 13 (Caraga) officially kicked off the construction of a PHP155-million farm-to-market road (FMR) in Libjo, Dinagat Islands, on Tuesday, aiming to strengthen cassava production and upland agriculture in the area.
“Most of the beneficiaries are farmers involved in cassava and other upland crops in the Dinagat Islands,” DA-13 said in a statement on Wednesday.
The new road will directly benefit 2,866 individuals, or 347 households, in Sitios Patag and Dela Concepcion of Barangays Garcia and Sto. Niño. Once completed, it is expected to increase production, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve farmers’ access to local markets.
Funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project’s Scale-Up program, the FMR has been welcomed by local officials. Barangay Captain Vicente Rondina of Garcia said the road will ease long-standing challenges faced by farmers in transporting their produce, especially cassava.
Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. called the project a “lifeline” for the province’s cassava farmers. “By providing easier and faster market access, we reduce transport costs, minimize losses, and open opportunities for higher income,” he said, adding that the road will help strengthen Dinagat’s local agricultural economy.
NPO News Team I PNA-PR
