Agri Dept., World Bank brings rural devt program to Visayas

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the World Bank started work on replicating the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) in the Visayas, said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.   “Together with the World Bank team, we have begun preparatory work for the replication of MRDP in Central Philippines. Several features of MRDP are being analyzed by the feasibility study preparation team,” said Alcala.   At the World Bank’s 7th review mission on Monday, Alcala asked the lender for additional funding as the program enters its second phase, the Adaptable Program Loan Phase 2 (APL2).   Alcala said the funds will be used specifically to further enhance farm productivity and provide easy access to markets under the program’s rural infrastructure component.   APL2 also aims to fund agriculture development, natural resources management, and investment for governance reform and program administration.   Alcala also highlighted the program’s pioneering achievement in the geo-tagging of infrastructure projects, which has influenced other projects of the DA and the World Bank.   “Through geo-tagging, we are able to monitor online projects throughout their implementation and completion, helping promote transparency and efficient use of resources,” he said.   The DA has so far tagged 179 subprojects across the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Davao Region, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, SOCCSKSARGEN and CARAGA.   During the review, it was noted that the Mindanao project has achieved a 30.5-percent disbursement rate, with the DA implementing over $25-million worth of various infrastructure, agri-fishery, and environmental projects.   The program is concurrently led by Agriculture Region 10 director Lealyn Ramos as program director, and engineer Arnel De Mesa as deputy director.   The program is a poverty-alleviation initiative jointly funded by the World Bank, the DA, and local government units covering Mindanao's 26 provinces and 225 municipalities. — AL/VS, GMA News