TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said central funding for farm road projects could fall next year after changes to the fiscal allocation law.

CNA reported Monday that Huang inspected upgraded farm roads and irrigation systems in Syuejia District’s Zhongzhou land readjustment area with a deputy agriculture official, local representatives, and farmers. He said the city will keep seeking support from the central government.

Huang said farm roads and waterways are vital to farming and rural life. Better roads help farmers move crops faster and use machinery more easily, he added.

Tainan City Government said it has repaired about 1,743 kilometers of farm roads and 226 kilometers of waterways over the past seven years. The combined length equals about 4.7 National Freeway No. 1 routes.

Tainan City Land Administration Bureau Director Chen Shu-mei (陳淑美) said a major farm road project in Zhongzhou was completed in September. She said the wider and smoother road now helps transport shallots, sorghum, and melons more efficiently.