BRAULIO E. DUJALI, Davao del Norte (March 27, 2026) — Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon jointly inspected a farm-to-market road (FMR) project here, as the government steps up a nationwide audit following the transfer of agricultural road development to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The officials visited an 800-meter concrete road in Barangay New Casayuran, completed in July by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office. The project involved a 5-meter-wide, 0.23-meter-thick pavement designed to improve farm access and lower transport costs for local producers—key factors in reducing post-harvest losses and boosting margins.
The inspection forms part of a broader review aimed at tightening oversight as responsibility for FMRs shifts from the DPWH to the DA, a policy move intended to better align infrastructure spending with agricultural priorities and supply chain needs.
The DA estimates the country needs about 131,000 kilometers of FMRs to fully support agricultural supply chains, with more than 60,000 kilometers still unbuilt—highlighting a substantial infrastructure deficit that has long weighed on farm competitiveness. ### (Photos by DA – Gian Carlo Luague, AFID & Darrel Gultia, OSEC Comms)
Further details of the FMR project can be accessed through https://fmrwatch.bafe.gov.ph/projects/f73b2243-e804-46bf-92b4-428a92b476eb
