A P277.98-million farm-to-market road project is underway in Davao Oriental, expected to improve transportation and market access for more than 4,000 residents in the towns of Cateel and Boston.
Funded through the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project Scale-Up, the project will build and improve an 8.508-kilometer concrete road connecting Barangay Mainit in Cateel to Barangay Cabasagan in Boston. It will also include two bridges with a combined length of 92 meters.
The road is designed to address long-standing transportation difficulties faced by farming communities in the area. Poor road conditions have made travel difficult, particularly during heavy rains, while farmers have faced challenges in bringing agricultural products to markets.
Once completed, the project is expected to reduce travel time between the connected communities from about 25 minutes to 10 minutes. Officials also estimate that improved road access could lower crop transportation costs by as much as 35 percent and reduce crop damage during transit.
Farmers producing Cardava bananas, coconut, cacao and abaca are among those expected to benefit from the improved connection. The project will also provide more reliable access to schools, health facilities and other essential services.
The project is expected to benefit 4,285 residents, including 903 Indigenous Peoples and agrarian reform beneficiaries. It is also projected to create employment for 69 skilled workers and 164 unskilled laborers during construction.
The project is financed through a partnership involving the World Bank, the national government and the Davao Oriental provincial government. The World Bank will provide 70 percent of the funding, while the national government will contribute 10 percent and the provincial government 20 percent.
Beyond improving mobility, agricultural officials said the infrastructure is intended to reduce logistical bottlenecks, minimize post-harvest losses and strengthen the connection between rural producers and major trade hubs.
With construction now beginning, the Cateel-Boston road project is expected to provide an all-weather transportation link for communities that have long faced difficulties moving people and agricultural goods across the two municipalities.
