The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) inked an accord to jointly develop P9.06 billion worth of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects across Luzon.
The agreement between the two government agencies involves 605 FMR projects in 26 provinces, spanning the regions of Cordillera, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.
These FMR projects, which cover a total of 604 kilometers, will help improve connectivity between farms and markets.
They cover major agricultural areas in northern Luzon, where farm roads are critical for moving palay, vegetables, fruits, livestock, and other commodities.
Before this, the DA’s regional office in Mimaropa and the DPWH signed an agreement for 29 FMR projects worth P430 million in the region.
The DA also inaugurated a P310.9 million FMR project in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya, a 10.86-kilometer project intended to improve logistics in the area driven by high-value crops, organic farming, and agroforestry.
The DA will fund all FMR projects under its budget in the 2026 General Appropriations Act. The funding will support its broader FMR program, which aims to finance over 1,600 projects that will cover approximately 2,200 kilometers of rural roads nationwide.
The DA is the lead implementing agency for FMR projects nationwide. However, the implementing guidelines allow it to collaborate with local government units and government agencies to address implementation bottlenecks in certain areas.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stressed the need to accelerate the expansion of the country’s FMR network, which can help increase farmers’ incomes while reducing the cost of transporting farm inputs to production areas and agricultural products to consumers.
‘Better rural connectivity would also help strengthen local economies by making it easier for agricultural communities to participate in wider markets,’ Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Tuesday.