Marcos: Joint order on farm-to-market roads to be signed in December

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said a national timetable for establishing farm-to-market roads (FMRs) has already been approved, including signing a joint administrative order scheduled this month.

“FMR approved na. Mayroon na tayong national timetable,” the President said in a statement.

(The FMR is already approved. So we already have a national timetable.)

“Lahat ng agencies that are involved, departments that are involved will be signing… by December, before the end of the year, para ma-approve na ang plano para sa pag-construct ng FMR,” he added.

(All agencies and departments involved will be signing by December, before the end of the year, so that we can approve the plans for the construction of FMRs.)

The joint administrative order on the farm-to-market roads will set up the guidelines to make all FMRs interconnected with other infrastructure projects to ensure efficiency in the delivery of services and enhance agricultural programs.

The order would be between and among the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Interior and Local Government, Trade and Industry, and Tourism.

The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said the DA and DPWH, in partnership with concerned agencies, formulated a regional FMR network overlaying the proposed FMR projects with the Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zone/ Network of Protected Areas for Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development and production areas.

The two agencies have also spearheaded an inter-agency workshop on locating and mapping agriculture and fisheries production areas, markets, trading posts, existing road networks and road conditions and the proposed FMRs.

As of October this year, the OPS said that a total of over 43,000 kilometers (km) were proposed for FMR projects.

The country requires 131,410.66 km (110ha/km) to cater to the 14 million hectares of production areas for agriculture and fisheries.

Meanwhile, as of October 2022, a total of over 67,000 km of FMRs were completed, with a remaining backlog of over 64,000 km.

Meanwhile, the President said the government is trying to find import substitution for urea and petroleum-based fertilizer.

“But we are looking at all the technologies available, including biofertilizer perhaps as an import substitute,” Marcos said.

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