The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday said its Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) is finalizing the guidelines for the implementation of farm-to-market road (FMR) project by April.

“Yung sa 2026, baka maumpisahan ang mga kalye by April this year kasi ‘yung per quarter budget hindi pa napa-finalize (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.

For the entire year, the DA has PHP33 billion covering about 1,600 FMR projects with a total length of 2,300 kilometers, at an estimated cost of PHP14 million per kilometer.

BAFE director Cristy Cecilia Polido, however, said that they need to finalize the implementing guidelines first.

Once the draft is completed, it will be subject to approval of the secretary prior to official submission.

“Ang hinihintay lang po natin matapos ang ating implementing guidelines na isa-submit po natin sa (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 alongside a series of stakeholders’ consultations.

The DA, likewise, aims to post all its bidding for projects nationwide via its newly-launched portal – the fmrwatch.bafe.gov.ph.

Although the DA is the default implementing agency, it can still tap local government units, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and other public-private partners. (PNA)