President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to ensure construction of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects is on track.
Marcos also told the DA to prioritize FMR projects based on their usefulness and development aspect, and to make sure these comply with the Farm-to-Market Roads National Plan.
“We’ll have to assess it in terms of need. Where do we need the roads most? For example, roads that are heavily used, that are not in good condition but (whee) many products pass through … should be fixed,” Marcos said during a sectoral meeting in Malacañang.
The DA was tasked to coordinate closely with other departments to build or repair FMRs where they are most needed.
He noted the need for FMR in areas with high value crops, while roads damaged by flood and other natural disasters should also be prioritized.
Data from the DA showed that as of October 2022, a total of 67,255.46 kilometers of FMR projects were completed. Around 64,155.20 km of FMRs have yet to be completed and require P962.325 billion to finish.
The DA said 131,410.66 km of FMRs need to be built to be able to serve 14 million hectares of the country’s production areas for agriculture and fisheries.
