SANTA MARGARITA, Samar — The PHP18.4-million farm-to-market road here that was opened by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) last July 20 will motivate farmers to plant red rice, a local government official said.
The 3.1-km. road will benefit the upland areas of Ilo and Balud and nearby villages, Santa Margarita Mayor Gemma Zosa said Sunday.
“The better access road will really encourage farmers to increase the production of red rice after mall executives based in Tacloban informed us that they are willing to get their supply from Santa Margarita,” Zosa added.
Farmers in Santa Margarita and Gandara are among the known producers of the “kalinayan” or red rice. The local variety is highly-prized and sought-after due to its quality, pinkish kernel, and excellent aroma.
The local government has no available data on areas planted with red rice and the towns’ volume of production.
The national government, through a loan from the Asian Development Bank, and Santa Margarita’s local government shared the cost of the road project under the second phase of the Agrarian Reform Communities Project.
Instead of using the national highway, farmers from the villages may use the alternative route, which can be accessed by all types of vehicles.
“The local government is thankful for this project from DAR since this will unlock economic opportunities in poor villages,” Zosa said, adding that the project will also benefit Gandara.
More than 1,600 residents in this area, with 180 as agrarian reform beneficiaries, will benefit from the road project.
DAR Assistant Regional Director Ismael Aya-ay, in a statement, lauded Santa Margarita’s local government for improving the project, which was supposed to be a road opening and spot concreting only.
“We saw the tremendous support of the local in this project because they improve and enhance the project that our agency had started by connecting the road project, not only to villages of Santa Margarita but also to the interior villages in Gandara town,” Aya-ay said.
Santa Margarita, located 159 km. north of Tacloban, is a fourth-class town in Samar with 26,348 people living in 36 villages. (Roel Amazona/PNA)
