More than 1,200 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from Banban and nearby communities are set to benefit from the newly completed PHP29.85 million Banban-Banauan-Guidegued farm-to-market road (FMR).

The turnover ceremony of the 1.9-kilometer concrete road was held in Barangay Banban, a part of the CALAOAN Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) comprising 10 barangays in Conner.

The FMR is designed to boost agricultural productivity as it is expected to ease the transport of goods, reduce post-harvest losses, and save time and money in bringing their products to market.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Arsenio Tumbali, chair of the Banban Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella IIIvand President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

“We vow to protect and sustain this road. We hope the government will continue to support us,” he said.

DAR-Cordillera Administrative Region Director Samuel Solomero said the project is a concrete example of the government’s commitment to rural development and to uplifting farming communities.

Also present at the event were DAR Central Office Project Management Service Director IV Von Mark Mendoza, several DAR officials, and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineer Rustom Martinez.

Apayao Rep. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang, along with officials from the provincial government, and local leaders from Conner’s Municipal and Barangay Local Government Units, also joined the ceremony.

This FMR was built under the DAR’s Program Beneficiaries Development Division, which provides key support services to ARBs and agrarian reform communities nationwide.

The program focuses on providing infrastructure, promoting sustainable agriculture and enhancing rural livelihoods.

With the new road, farming families in Banban and neighboring areas are now better connected, paving the way for economic growth and long-term community development. (PNA)