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KORONADAL CITY — The bid of Sultan Kudarat province to become the “Coffee Capital of the Philippines” received a major boost with the availability of funds worth almost P2.4 billion for the development of farm-to-market roads in remote communities.
Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu and Dr. John Pascual, Department of Agriculture-Region 12 director, recently signed the Memorandum of Agreement for the concreting of 17 farm-to-market road (FMR) projects spanning at least 120 kilometers in the towns of Senator Ninoy Aquino, Lebak, Kalamansig, Palimbang, and Bagumbayan.Senator Ninoy Aquino will receive the biggest share with eight projects worth P1.0594 billion, followed by Kalamansig with three projects worth P608 million, Lebak with four worth P433.09 million, Palimbang with one worth P200 million, and Bagumbayan with one worth P78 million.
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Mangudadatu said the road network is expected to cut travel time and transportation costs, making it easier for farmers to bring coffee and other farm products from remote villages to trading centers.He said many of the roads in the five municipalities become muddy and difficult to pass during heavy rains, making it harder and more expensive for farmers to transport their harvests.“It is our vision that Sultan Kudarat will become the coffee capital of the country. This project is one way of making it easier for our farmers (to access their farms and transport their harvests to the markets),” Mangudadatu said.
