DAVAO CITY – Six newly completed farm-to-market roads (FMRs) worth P123 million will improve mobility for thousands of farmers and residents in Davao de Oro, agriculture officials said Tuesday.

The projects in the municipalities of Maragusan, Montevista, Compostela and New Bataan aim to reduce travel time and costs for delivering high-value crops to market.

“The turnover of these six FMRs (farm-to-market roads) is a direct fulfillment of our commitment to the farming communities in Davao de Oro. By reducing the time and cost it takes for our farmers to bring their high-value crops to market, we are ensuring higher incomes and greater food security for the region,” DA-11 Regional Technical Director Marie Ann Constantino said in a statement.

The projects, amounting to P123 million with a combined length of 4.3 kilometers, are expected to improve connectivity, reduce hauling costs and minimize post-harvest losses in agricultural communities.

The longest road is a 1.640-kilometer stretch in Barangay New Albay, Maragusan, costing P49.7 million. In Montevista, the DA-11 completed two roads — 0.480 km in Barangay Bankerohan Norte and 0.547 km connecting Purok 6 to Purok 3 in Barangay New Cebulan.

The remaining two projects are located in Barangay Panansalan, Compostela and Barangay Magangit, New Bataan.

Constantino said the DA expects the new roads to ease the movement of goods and services, particularly during the rainy season when unpaved routes previously became difficult to traverse.