Movement of products and services has now improved in Zamboanga del Norte after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) completed seven (7) farm-to-market roads (FMR) in six (6) municipalities in the province.
In her report to Secretary Mark A. Villar, DPWH Region 9 Director Cayamombao Dia said that six (6) of the FMRs were completed within two months, helping farmers to transport their products to the market easier.
Completed are the 500-meter Balakan FMR in Barangay Balakan in the municipality of Salug, costing P5-million; the 700-meter Barangay Panabang FMR in the municipality of Liloy, worth P7-million; and the 500-meter Barangay Tan-Awan FMR in the municipality of Baliguian, amounting P5-million; while two (2) 400-meter FMRs with a total cost of P5-million were completed in Barangay Bagong Silang, Gutalac and in Barangay Pisawak-Bulacan in the municipality of Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.
DPWH also completed two 500-meter FMRs worth P5-million in the municipality of Labason, namely: the Barangay Lawagan FMR and the Barangay Lapatan FMR.
“We hope to support more Filipino farmers here in Zamboanga del Norte by constructing more roads especially since the region’s economy is rooted in agriculture,” added Director Dia.
According to 2013 data from the National Statistics Office (NSO), Zamboanga del Norte has the highest number of farms among the provinces in Western Mindanao, with 104,070 farms used mainly for planting palay, corn, coconut, sugarcane, and banana.