ITOGON, Benguet – Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap got from the agriculture and public works departments funds for the improvement of some 31 kilometers of farm-to-market roads (FMR) in the different municipalities under the P4.5 trillion proposed annual budget of the national government next year.
Yap, who chairs the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, said that the 31 kilometers of FMR in the province that will be funded next year is much greater than the 2 kilometers FMR funded from the government’s annual budget this year.
He pointed out that as an agriculture province, projects that must be provided with funding should be FMR to facilitate the transport of farmers produce from their farms in the remote villages to the nearest markets, particularly the La Trinidad Trading Post and the Benguet Agri Pinoy Trading Center, two of the largest vegetable trading centers not only in the province but also in the whole Cordillera.
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The lawmaker underscored that with better condition of roads, farmers can minimize their transportation expenses through lesser depreciation costs, aside from the fact that their vegetables will still be in good condition when reaching the markets, thus, the buying prices will be greater that will translate to better income for the farmers.
According to him, with more income from the trading of their vegetable produce, farmers can have more resources to improve their living condition even if they are living in the rural areas as road will be able to link them to the markets.
Currently, Benguet, some parts of Mountain Province and Ifugao remain as producers of some 80 percent of the highland vegetables being sold in the various markets around the country.
Congressman Yap stated the government should infuse more funding to improve FMR for better quality agricultural produce to reach the markets thereby resulting to a better quality of life for the agriculture industry stakeholders, especially those based in far flung communities.
He recognized that government must heavily invest in the improvement of FMR, especially in the Cordillera, because the situation is different in mountainous areas with added provisions for slope protection, drainage systems, among others, compared to the construction of roads in the lowlands which simply involves overlay of the concrete mix.
The congressman assured the people of the province he will continue to work for the overall development of Benguet as he wants the province to become a first class province where people will be reaping the fruits of development without being left behind in the race for the improved quality of life in the countryside.
By Hent
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