CATBALOGAN CITY - A groundbreaking ceremony for the improvement and concreting of the Farm to Market Road (FMR) from Brgy. Hinugacan of Gandara town to Brgy. Villahermosa Oriental, Pagsanghan  transpired on October 26 at Brgy. Villahermosa Oriental, Pagsanghan, Samar.

The FMR has a total length of 9.9281 km with 5-meter width, and .20m thickness. The  project will traverse the municipalities of Gandara, Tarangnan, and Pagsanghan, and is seen to benefit its 9,608 population.

The said project is included in the set of projects under  the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) jointly funded by the World Bank, the National Government and  participating LGUs.

For the Hinugacan-Villahermosa Oriental FMR, the total project cost is at P129,039,000, with the following cost sharing: World Bank - P103,231,200, Government of the Philippines - P12,903,900, and LGU Equity - P12,903,900.

Meanwhile, with the said FMR project, farmers will be able to market local produce with less agricultural costs. The above-mentioned towns are known to produce rice, corn, vegetables, sweet potato, cassava, taro, banana and coconut, among others.

Samar Governor Sharee Ann T. Tan, Samar First District Representative Jimboy T. Tan, Department of Agrictulture 8 Regional Executive Director Angel Enriquez, Pagsanghan Mayor Sed Hendrix C. Tan, Gandara Mayor Warren T. Aguilar, Tarangnan Mayor Danilo V. Tan, PRDP Deputy Project Director Jenny Lyn Almeria, representatives from World Bank, local officials and stakeholders joined the groundbreaking ceremony and laying of time capsule.

The key officials shared their message of support and appreciation, and highlighted how road projects will help not only the local farmers but the economy of the municipalities and the province as well.

The PRDP is a six-year program under the Department of Agriculture, and designed to establish the government platform for a modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agri-fishery sector.  (Samar PIO)