AN 8.508-KILOMETER farm-to-market road project is set to connect remote farming communities in Cateel and Boston, Davao Oriental, to major trade hubs in the province.
AN 8.508-KILOMETER farm-to-market road project is set to connect remote farming communities in Cateel and Boston, Davao Oriental to major trade hubs in the province.
Local officials and agricultural leaders led the groundbreaking and contract signing on Sept. 24 for the P277.98-million road project. The Department of Agriculture XI said the project will address limited market access of farmers as the old road cut off communities during heavy rainfall.
“This groundbreaking is about building inclusive opportunities that respect both community heritage and economic longevity,” DA XI regional director Macario D. Gonzaga said.
The subproject covers the rehabilitation and improvement of road stretching from NHJ-Proper Mainit, Purok Bangas in Mainit, Cateel to Purok Buko-buko sa Anay E/S in Barangay Cabasagan, Boston. It also includes two bridges with a combined span of 92 meters.
The project is funded through the World Bank (70%), the national government (10%), and the Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao Oriental (20%) under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
The road will be built using Portland Cement concrete pavement with 1.5-meter drainage shoulders.
Gonzaga said the project will ensure the faster and safer transport of Cardava banana, which is the area’s primary agricultural commodity, along with other local farm produce to trade centers.
It added an estimated 4,285 residents within the project’s area are expected to benefit from improved access to markets, schools, and other public services, among them are 903 Indigenous People.
“Through sustainable infrastructure under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project-Scale-Up, we are helping rural farming households reduce transport costs, minimize post-harvest losses, and build a resilient foundation for generations to come,” Gonzaga said.
The agency said project planners project an Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of 13.12%, above the 10% national benchmark for infrastructure projects, and a Net Present Value (NPV) of P78.76 million.
