COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is pushing for the inclusion of roughly P833 million worth of projects into the budget of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).

Makmod Mending, ARMM’s Agriculture and Fisheries Secretary and Regional Program Advisory Board (RPAB) chairman said on Tuesday the board’s members approved the infrastructure and enterprise development projects for three ARMM provinces, specifically, Maguindanao, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.

“Nag-convene ang members ng board para ma-screen at ma-approve ang mga proposals for ARMM para maipasa sa Mindanao at national board at mapondohan na rin (The RPAB board members convened to screen and approve the proposals for funding by the national board),” Sec. Mending said.

Six farm to market roads in the province of Tawi-Tawi amounting to more than P246 million and eight similar projects in Maguindanao amounting to more than P459 million comprise the approved projects under the infrastructure development component of PRDP.

Sec. Mending added, the infrastructure development component aims at improving the links from production areas to markets to enhance the efficiency of transporting agricultural products.

A crumb rubber processing and marketing project in Basilan amounting to over P127 million was approved under the enterprise development component.

“The rubber processing plant in Basilan will help in regulating the price of rubber in the region and will generate employment in the processing plant and in buying stations,” Sec. Mending said.

The above-mentioned projects will roll out after deliberation and approval of the PRDP’s National Program Advisory Board (NPAB) this year. The first farm to market road project under the program was constructed in Talayan, Maguindanao with 12.3 kilometers traversing five barangays.

The PRDP is an upscale program of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) that ended five years ago. The six-year rural development initiative is under the Department of Agriculture. It has a total budget of P27.5 billion with project cost shared by the national government, the World Bank and local government units.

“Because of the success of MRDP, ipinagpatuloy ng national government ito. Ang ginawa nila, buong Pilipinas na ang coverage at ito na ang PRDP (Because of the MRDP’s success, the national government decided to launch a similar program – the PRDP – but with nationwide coverage),” Sec. Mending said. (Bureau of Public Information)

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