Although the Department of Agriculture (DA) identifies and validates FMR sites, the DPWH handles construction. Tiu Laurel said he is demanding transparency, quality, and results.
“These roads are meant to connect production areas to markets,” he said. “With what is happening now in flood control projects, I ordered an audit of all FMR projects from 2021 to 2025. If there are any issues in these agricultural road projects, I will have to report that to President Marcos.”
The DA chief said the audit should be completed by the end of this year.
Farm-to-market goals
The government aims to build 131,000 kilometers of FMRs nationwide. As of July, roughly 70,000 kilometers have been completed, with about 61,000 kilometers still pending validation or considered a backlog.
Tiu Laurel emphasized that FMRs must serve farmers, not become “farm-to-pocket projects.”
Push for legislation
At the DA’s 2026 budget hearing, he urged lawmakers to legislate a priority list for FMR projects, reviewed every three years, to move away from arbitrary road-building influenced by local concerns.
Funding remains a hurdle. The DA has set aside P16 billion for FMRs in 2026—well below the P56 billion requested for pending projects from 2025 alone.
Cost-cutting design changes
To stretch resources, Tiu Laurel proposed building narrower 3-meter-wide roadways instead of the standard 5 meters, with shoulders every 300 meters. He said this redesign would reduce costs and accelerate construction.
With the audit underway, Tiu Laurel sent a blunt message: no shortcuts, no excuses, and farm-to-market roads must truly lead somewhere. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
