CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA)-10 is implementing the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) in northern Mindanao with a total budget of P1.2 billion, which aims at strengthening the region’s agriculture sector.
The PRDP is a comprehensive initiative that aims to establish a modern, value-chain-oriented, and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. This project is a collaboration between the agriculture department, local government units, and private sectors that provides essential infrastructure, facilities, technology, and information to boost incomes, productivity, and competitiveness in targeted areas.
DA-10’s PRDP efforts are heavily focused on the Farm to Market Road (FMR) projects throughout the region. These projects aim to improve road access for indigenous communities and farmers, facilitating the efficient delivery of farm produce to markets.
“This project enables multi-billion support funded by the World Bank and the European Union, allowing us to finance projects that cannot be directly funded by our regular government programs,” said DA-10 Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Pacamalan during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on June 18.
He highlighted the turnover of an FMR project worth P300 million in Iba and Cabanglasan, Bukidnon. Various beneficiaries have received the completion and handover of 39 FMRs, 2 FMRs with bridges, 1 potable water system, and 12 other infrastructure projects.
Pacamalan also mentioned the implementation of two key PRDP subcomponents in the region: the Intensified Building Up of Infrastructures for Logistics and Development (I-BUILD) and the Investment in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (IREAP).
He said there are I-BUILD partners committed to scaling enterprise projects in agriculture sectors such as cacao, coconut, and coffee. As of 2023, 45 I-BUILD projects have been completed and turned over, benefiting 277,643 individuals, including farmers, with nine more projects currently ongoing. Meanwhile, since the implementation of IREAP in 2023, 46 sub projects have been launched, with 41 completed, benefiting 12,310 individuals.
Given the numerous projects under the DA, Pacamalan urged farmers to take advantage of the PRDP programs and become off-takers of their agricultural enterprise projects, emphasizing the economic significance of crops like coconut, cacao, and coffee in Northern Mindanao. (JAKA/PIA-10)
