MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) said its Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) is finalizing the guidelines for the implementation of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects that will commence in April this year..
“For 2026, road construction may be implemented by April this year because our quarterly budget is not yet finalized),” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a press conference. The DA has secured a P33 billion for 2026 for some 1,600 FMR projects with a total length of 2,300 kilometers.
BAFE director Cristy Cecilia Polido, however, said they need to finalize the implementing guidelines first. “We are just waiting the for the completion of the implementing guidelines, which will be submitted to the Department of Budget and Management,” Polido added.
She said the BAFE is presently consolidating all regional data including reports on consultations with various stakeholders. The DA will also post all its bidding announcements for projects nationwide via its newly-launched portal – the fmrwatch.bafe.gov.ph.
DA stands as the FMR “default implementing agency” starting this year but it will coordinate project implementation with other stakeholders including local government units, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and other public-private partners., she added. (With PNA)