THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has postponed the procurement process for its farm-to-market road (FMR) projects until May due to costing issues, Undersecretary Arrey Perez said on Wednesday.
The problem is high fuel prices which is delaying the final costing of the projects.
The DA is working with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to standardize the price per kilometer of the roads, Perez said, adding that they are also finalizing the bidding parameters for the project.
Despite the delay, the projects are still on track since the budget is valid for two years, Perez pointed out.
“It is really standard that our FMR infrastructure begins in the second or third quarter and finishes by the second year,” he said.
Meanwhile, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa stressed the importance of proper costing. “If we insist [on proceeding] with the previous prices, that will just fail in the bidding. So we need to fix it to ensure that procurement and implementation will be successful,” he said.
This year, the DA took over the implementation of FMR projects from DPWH, which had been embroiled in a corruption scandal from flood control and other infrastructure projects.
The 2026 General Appropriations Act allotted P33 billion to construct 2,300 kilometers of FMRs.
For now, Perez said the DA is validating the projects based on the coordinates in the general provisions of the national budget, as well as a detailed engineering plan and program of works.
Implementation of existing FMR projects is ongoing, Perez said.
