The Department of Agriculture and Department of Public Works and Highways have partnered to build 29 farm-to-market roads across Mimaropa worth P430 million, marking a major step to cut costs and boost earnings for thousands of rural families.
Signed Wednesday, the memorandum of agreement between DA-Mimaropa and DPWH puts in motion projects funded under the Department of Agriculture’s 2026 national budget, designed to directly link farm production areas, fishing communities, post-harvest sites and coastal landing points to major markets and key highways. The roads will drastically ease the daily struggle of moving crops and catch from field to store, cutting travel time, spoilage and hauling expenses that eat deep into family incomes.
“Farm-to-market roads benefit our farmers in the most direct way possible—they make transporting produce faster, simpler and far less costly,” said Christopher Bañas, DA-Mimaropa regional executive director. “By working hand-in-hand with DPWH, we are ensuring these projects are built to last and that the people who need them most feel the real difference.”
Funds will be released to DPWH in at least three tranches, with each payout tied to verified progress reports and completed milestones to ensure transparency, accountability and proper use of public money. Both agencies will also enforce strict technical standards to deliver durable, reliable roads that serve communities well for years to come.
This initiative forms part of a sweeping national infrastructure drive that has already channeled P109.53 billion into 6,428 farm-to-market road projects across the country since 2021, with 3,135 completed roads stretching nearly 2,400 kilometers now in use. Officials acknowledge roughly 60,000 kilometers of these critical links remain to be built, and every new road completed brings tangible gains: lower production and transport costs that lift farmgate prices, fresher and more affordable food on Filipino tables, and stronger, more sustainable livelihoods across rural Philippines.
