The project site of the P21.7 million Bacalto-Mission farm-to-market road in Barangay Sto. Niño in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, during its groundbreaking recently. The road project is expected to boost the market connectivity and production of the local farmers in the area, thereby improving their income as well. (Photo courtesy of the municipal gov't of Bagumbayan)
KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-12), through its Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID-Growth) Project, will commence construction of the Bacalto-Mission farm-to-market road in Barangay Sto. Niño in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat.
The 1.73-kilometer road project, which costs P21.7 million, is set to bring convenience to the 441 direct beneficiary farmers in transporting their products to the market.
DTI Regional Director Flora Politud-Gabunales said the project aims to enhance product transportation and upgrade connectivity among direct beneficiaries and local farmers as part of the value chain development initiatives of the RAPID Growth Program.
“Layunin ng proyektong ito na magkaroon ng mas mainam na market access ang ating mga kababayan lalong-lalo na ang mga magsasaka na siyang pangunahing benepisyaryo ng RAPID Growth Project [The goal of this project is for our local farmers to have better market access, especially the farmers who are the main beneficiaries of the RAPID Growth Project],” she explained.
Flora Politud-Gabunales, DTI-12 regional director, discussed the significance of the RAPID Growth Project to local farmers, describing the project as relevant, especially in building partnerships with micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) focusing on value-chain development production, providing technical support like training, and funding basic infrastructure like farm-to-market roads to help link farmers to a wider market. (File photo: PIA Region 12)
The official emphasized that the DTI recognizes the importance of infrastructure, such as farm-to-market roads, as a support mechanism for farmers to boost their market activities as well as their income, resulting in local economic growth.
“Nais natin na mapabuti ang access ng mga magsasaka sa merkado sa pamamagitan ng mas mabilis na pag-transport ng kanilang mga ani at produkto [We want to improve the farmers' access to the market by facilitating faster transportation of their produce, among other products],” said Politud-Gabunales.
She added that the local government of Bagumbayan is currently completing some requirements for the release of funds for the construction from the RAPID National Coordinating Unit.
DTI Sultan Kudarat Provincial Director Mary Ann Morales addressed the local officials and farmers of Barangay Santo Niño, Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the 1.73-kilometer road project in the area, which is primarily intended for the beneficiary farmers of the DTI's RAPID Growth Project. (Photo courtesy of DTI Sultan Kudarat)
“Baka next week, the first week of February, mag start ang construction na [The construction will probably start next week, the first week of February],” Provincial Director of DTI Sultan Kudarat Mary Ann Morales said.
The project will be implemented with the technical support of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, while the municipal government of Bagumbayan will shoulder five percent of the total project cost.
RAPID Growth is a value chain-based and market-driven business development initiative that aims to forge partnerships in selected value chains in the coffee, cacao, coconut, and processed fruit and nuts sectors in the Soccsksargen region.
Its primary goal is to improve the income of small farmers and unemployed rural women and men by creating favorable conditions, Morales further explained.
Based on its briefer, the project particularly adopts a whole-of-government approach in support of DTI’s thrust “to bring employment, livelihood, and enterprise to rural communities and reach more farming households, cooperatives, and microenterprises anchored on the value chain approach.”
The road project, Morales added, is expected to be completed in May this year. (AMB – PIA Sultan Kudarat)
