Work on the Surong Bridge and upgrading the Barangay Aguas Farm-to-Market Road in Rizal municipality in Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro is scheduled to start.
Governor Eduardo Gadiano declared that he had obtained Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. 's No Objections Letter 1 (NOL1), which essentially authorized the project after a critical project criterion was met.
Connecting farms to sellers
Within its Road Influence Area, the bridge and farm-to-market road will span a total of 4.48 kilometers, providing a livelihood for about 3,384 onion producers from 786 households.
The project aims to strengthen the land connection between onion fields and vegetable retail establishments to promote the Occidental Mindoro onion-growing industry.
The project is projected to cost about PHP 263 million.
The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) is funding this project.
Farm-to-market as priority
Last year, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has directed that farm-to-market road (FMR) projects be prioritized to help local farmers while also ensuring the smooth flow of products and services.
In a meeting with Department of Agriculture officials on Tuesday, Marcos stated that the government must determine where the roads are most needed.
While the project in Mamburao is ready to go on paper, the timeframe for the project remains uncertain.
