Farm roads seen unlocking agricultural potential of underused parts of Mindanao

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is pushing for an “aggressive” farm-to-market road (FMR) buildout in Mindanao to unlock the economic potential of isolated farmland.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the DA is preparing to build roads through promising, but underutilized areas in Mindanao, including sites in Sultan Kudarat and the Liguasan Marsh.

The DA is set to take over FMR construction from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) starting next year.

“We want to put P2 billion into a single road in Sultan Kudarat that will open up 32,000 to 35,000 hectares of new farmland. These areas aren’t being used now because there’s simply no road,” he said in a statement.

He added that connectivity in the Liguasan Marsh could lead to the recovery of up to 300,000 hectares of land.

The DA said it also plans to reinforce these corridors with post-harvest facilities under the World Bank-funded Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

According to the DA, the PRDP will roll out cold storage units, dryers, silos and links to ports and emerging agri-ports, which are essential for lowering production costs and raising farmer incomes. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel