Residents of Barangay Tarrag and farmers in the town of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte will get to enjoy a new concrete road connecting farms to the markets courtesy of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“The road project is expected to boost economic activity and improve accessibility going to and from the business center. Furthermore, it is connected to the Maligaya provincial road to enhance interconnectivity within the province,” said DPWH Region 1 Director Ronnel M. Tan.
Budget allocation
With a ?11.7 million budget, the project entails building a 756-meter open canal and a 671-meter road connecting the markets of Ilocos Norte to the agricultural land of Tarrag and other towns Pagudpud.
The scope of work includes pipe culverts, grouted riprap for canal lining, embankments, portland cement concrete pavement, structural concrete, reinforcing steel, and stone masonry for slope protection.
Under the direction of District Engineer Glenn C. Miguel, the DPWH Ilocos Norte First District Engineering Office carried out the Tarrag farm-to-market road project.
Developing coconut industry
Meanwhile, the municipality of Pagudpud is reorienting its agricultural focus with the establishment of a 500-hectare coconut plantation in the province's most northern region.
The Department of Agriculture's Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is spearheading the planting of hybrid coconut in Pagudpud, with the potential to generate 150 nuts annually.
The PCA states that because hybrid coconut trees take three to four years to produce nuts, intercropping with bananas is another strategy the organization plans to look into to boost coconut farmers' incomes.
