More than 60 kilometers (km) of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and bridges with total funding of ₱2.06 billion have received clearance from the Department of Agriculture (DA), kickstarting the development of much-needed infrastructure to boost food productivity.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he has awarded No Objection Letter 1 (NOL1) to several FMR infrastructure projects under the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) Scale-Up for implementation.

With NOL1, the local government units (LGUs) that proposed each project can now proceed with the procurement stage, paving the way for the start of construction.

The approved projects cover around 66 km of roads and 310 linear meters of bridges in agricultural-producing provinces such as Zambales, Oriental Mindoro, Masbate, Samar, Bukidnon, and North Cotabato.

Tiu Laurel said implementing these projects is a major step toward improving the country’s agricultural supply chain, whose persistent gaps have been blamed for weakening productivity.

In particular, he said the bridges are the most “transformative” component of the approved projects, as they will replace river crossings that are dangerous to pass during bad weather.

“I’m sure these projects will improve the lives of farmers and fisherfolk, lower their expenses, and give them better access to markets,” Tiu Laurel said.

Of the approved projects, the largest is the ₱727-million, 26.2-km FMR in Zambales, which aims to support the production of mangoes and rice.

Other projects under PRDP Scale-Up that were cleared by the DA include roads that will support the production of cardava bananas, calamansi, cassava, coconut, and rubber.

As part of PRDP Scale-Up, these projects aim to address gaps in the agriculture sector by improving the efficiency of the food supply chain.

The program is backed by World Bank funding worth $600 million, or around ₱33 billion, with a counterpart budget of over ₱12 billion from the national government (NG) and LGUs.

Based on its project briefer, around 92 percent of the total funding for PRDP Scale-Up will be invested in rural infrastructure and enterprise investments.

Tiu Laurel said the DA is targeting to award NOL1s to the remaining projects under the program before the end of the year. These are expected to include infrastructure projects such as irrigation systems and post-harvest facilities.

With the program’s conclusion in 2029, the DA chief urged LGUs to continue preparing projects that meet World Bank standards to speed up approvals for future loan programs.