In a significant development for the agricultural sector in southern Negros, two new farm-to-market road projects have been inaugurated, enhancing connectivity for farmers in La Carlota City and Pontevedra. The projects, funded by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), were officially opened on November 14, 2024, by key officials including Arnulfo Figueroa, Lucrecia Taberna, Jose Maria Alonso, and Rex Jalando-on.
The first project in La Carlota City, costing PHP50 million, spans 2.4 kilometers and connects Sitio Danao and Sitio Alacapa in Barangay Haguimit to Barangay Burgos in Pontevedra. The second, a PHP49 million project in Pontevedra, covers 2.7 kilometers from Sitio Tamsik in Barangay General Malvar to Sitio Cabug in Barangay Pandan.
These roads are designed to directly link agricultural producers with manufacturing industries, enhancing efficiency and stability in agricultural production and marketing, according to DAR Negros Occidental 2. The projects were proposed by various agrarian reform beneficiary organizations, including Hacienda Danao Farmers Association and others.
DAR Negros Island Director Lucrecia Taberna emphasized the agency’s commitment to agrarian reform under the new regional initiative, ‘One Negros, Serbisyo-Agraryo, Una,’ which aims to streamline agrarian services. She encouraged beneficiaries to strengthen their organizations and consider forming cooperatives to access further support.
The development of these farm-to-market roads aligns with the Marcos administration’s nine-point agenda for the agrarian reform sector, marking a resurgence in locally funded road projects after a decade-long pause, facilitated by the Agrarian Reform Fund.