THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) is looking to pull down the cost of constructing farm-to-market roads (FMR) by over P4 million per kilometer, Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel said on Thursday, January 8.
The DA plans to build farm-to-market roads at P14.5 million per kilometer, which is cheaper compared to the previous rate of P18 million per kilometer, Tiu-Laurel said in a Palace press briefing, underscoring that the new cost is inclusive of value-added tax.
“Properly costed ito. I have consulted the private sector on this,” he said.
He added: “We will meet with the most reputable private companies next week para ma-establish namin ‘yung tamang costing ng FMR para kikita ang contractor pero wala nang extra para kanino man,” he said.
The DA is targeting to build 2,200 kilometers of farm-to-market roads in 2026 after the agency’s budget for these concrete highways was raised to P33 billion this year from P23 billion in 2025, according to data from the DA.
Next week, the DA will launch a farm-to-market road portal, which will allow the public to track the progress of construction in real-time, Tiu-Laurel said.
“Malinaw ang direktiba sa aming lahat: Keep it clean, do it fast,” the Agriculture chief said. “We will present next week para makita ninyo na interactive ito para ‘yung mga netizens, taumbayan, makita ito,” he said.
“It will be so transparent na every single Filipino can go to this portable and see what is happening [on] every single road,” he added.
Under the 2026 national budget, the budget for the construction of farm-to-market roads and the responsibility to implement these projects were given to the DA after corruption scandals plagued the Department of Public Works and Highways last year.
Meantime, the DA is also looking to complete its Command Center this month to strengthen its data-driven agricultural monitoring and solutions, Tiu-Laurel said.
“Very critical ‘yung digitalization. With the right data, we will be able to manage things properly,” he said.
The DA is among the agencies that received their highest-ever budget this year, with the agency’s 2026 budget pegged at P215 billion. (ABS-CBN News)
