THE Regional Project Advisory Board approved a P286.58-million farm-to-market road project expected to cut travel time for farmers in Davao Oriental by about 60 percent.
The board said the project will strengthen rural connectivity, improve market access, and support agricultural growth in the province.
The initiative will rehabilitate and upgrade the 8.5-kilometer farm-to-market road linking Barangay Mainit in Cateel, Davao Oriental, to Sitio Cabasagan in Boston, Davao Oriental.
According to Agri Ino in a Facebook post on March 11, 2026, the improved road will cut travel time along the route from about 25 minutes to roughly 10 minutes, allowing faster movement of goods and services. Traffic along the road is also expected to grow by around 4 percent annually as access improves.
The project will help farmers reduce transportation costs and minimize product losses during delivery. Hauling expenses are projected to drop by about 18 percent per sack and 35 percent per bundle, while transport losses may decline from 0.95 percent to 0.10 percent.
The upgraded road is also expected to open about 23 hectares of additional agricultural production within two years, supporting crops such as banana cardaba, abaca, cacao, and coconut.
Economic analysis showed the project has an Economic Internal Rate of Return of 13.12 percent, exceeding the required benchmark of 10 percent. It also recorded a Benefit-Cost Ratio of 1.26 and a Net Present Value of P78.77 million, indicating long-term economic gains for the province.
Aside from improved transportation, the project will also generate jobs, particularly during construction. The project will require 69 skilled workers and 164 unskilled laborers.
The road is expected to benefit about 4,285 residents, including 903 members of Indigenous communities and 3,382 non-Indigenous residents.
Funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project Scale-Up program, the project will convert the existing road into a Portland Cement Concrete Pavement. Construction will also include two bridges with a combined length of 92 meters — one measuring 30 linear meters and another spanning 62 meters.
Once completed, the road is expected to provide safer and more reliable access for residents, farmers, and traders traveling between the two municipalities. RGP