Government turns over P1 billion farm-to-market roads, agriculture projects in Zamboanga Peninsula

MANILA, Philippines — The government has turned over P1 billion worth of agriculture projects to the local government and farmers of Zamboanga Peninsula, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a statement, the DA said Agriculture Secretary Dar assisted President Duterte in handing over certificates of award for P1 billion worth of farm-to-market road (FMR) and agricultural projects, and financial assistance to respective local government executives and rice farmers in Zamboanga Peninsula.

About P630 million worth of FMR projects was turned over, five of which were constructed under the DA’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), funded by the World Bank.

Aside from the FMRs, P346 million worth of Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) was also distributed to 69,200 farmers in Zamboanga Peninsula.

Of the total amount, P160.13 million went to Zamboanga del Norte, benefiting 32,026 farmers; P127.7 million to Zamboanga del Sur, 25,540 farmers and P57.7 million to Zamboanga Sibugay, benefiting 11,540 farmers.

The FMRs and agricultural projects in Zamboanga Peninsula are part of the administration’s program in addressing communist rebellion and attaining sustainable and inclusive peace in the country.

During the turnover ceremony on Thursday, Dar committed to continue working in pursuit of national and regional projects related to agriculture and fishery development.

“We thank the World Bank and the EU for this huge assistance. The PRDP is really a shining platform for enhancing agricultural development of the Philippines,” Dar said.

The fresh round of funding is expected to benefit more than 300,000 farmers and rural folks in the Philippine countryside, as it will support 267 climate-resilient rural infrastructure, 287 enterprise development sub-projects, warehouse facilities, solar dryers, greenhouses, and irrigation and potable water projects, among others.

At present, Dar said a total of 454 rural infrastructure sub-projects, benefiting 608,887 households have been approved, and 261 had been completed.

He said that around 1,229 kilometers (km) of FMRs were completed, and 859 km are under construction.

The RFFA, on the other hand, is an offshoot of the Rice Tariffication Law, as Congress recently legislated that the excess rice tariff collections, net of the P10 billion annual budget for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) be given to rice farmers as an unconditional cash assistance at P5,000 each.

Beneficiaries of the program include those tilling two hectares and below, and listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.

Under the program, the DA will distribute a total of P7.6 billion in excess rice tariff collections in 2019 and 2020 to 1.5 million farmers nationwide.