The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday the completion of a P9-million Bukidnon farm-to-market road will significantly cut transport and hauling costs of agricultural products such as rice, coconut, corn, and banana in nearby communities in Kibawe town.

The DA said the local government unit (LGU) of Kibawe has invested in the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) to rehabilitate the 2.78-km farm-to-market road that will serve the production area of Barangay Natulongan.

The MRDP, a long-term poverty-alleviation program implemented by DA, aims to improve incomes of farmers by establishing relevant infrastructure and agri-based livelihood and improving the decentralized delivery of services.

The program is jointly funded by the World Bank, the national government and the LGUs.

In the study conducted by the LGUs, the farm-to-market road is a vital road network that connects at least five agricultural communities producing rice, coconut, corn, banana and high-value crops.

“With better roads, we can preserve the quality of our produce and avoid bruises or mishandling during transportation, thus we can command premium price for it,” said one of the residents.

The project is expected to benefit 416 households with 1,874 residents. Its projected cost is P9.094 million, half of which will be shouldered by the LGU while the other half will be provided by the MRDP.

Program director Lealyn Ramos said it will continue to partner with LGUs that are willing to invest in infrastructure development to increase agriculture productivity.

“We all know that agricultural infrastructure projects are expensive but they are extremely necessary if we bat for better production and improve income for farmers. Our program offers 50 percent of the project cost in infra projects like irrigation, bridges and roads,” she said.

At present, farmers are charged at least P15 per sack to bring their produce to the nearest central market about five kilometers from the farms.

Furthermore, when traders visit their farms, farmers are offered very low farm-gate prices.

“This road project is seen to reduce transportation cost and cut travel time by 45 minutes. It is also expected to increase farmers’ income by 20 percent,” said municipal Engr. Edwin Mulat.

The LGU still invites bidding contractors as opening of bids will be on July 15, 2010.