SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte (April 15,2026)—Agriculture Security Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. led the groundbreaking ceremony for a P365.9-million farm-to-market road project aimed at transforming agricultural logistics and strengthening rural economies in northeastern Mindanao.
The NRJ Trinidad–Mabini farm-to-market road project is implemented under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), with joint funding from the World Bank, the Department of Agriculture, and the Local Government Unit of Surigao City. Civil works are being undertaken with project completion targeted on 2027.
Spanning 6.511 kilometers, the project includes 6.328 km of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement and three bridge structures—Togonan, Lower Sangay, and Anomar—each measuring 61 linear meters. Once completed, the road will directly link 10 barangays across Surigao City and the nearby municipality of Sison, benefiting 2,884 households, including 1,245 farming households.
The infrastructure is designed to address long-standing inefficiencies in the coconut value chain, the region’s priority commodity. By improving farm-to-market connectivity, the project is expected to significantly reduce transport costs, post-harvest losses, and market delays.
Current hauling costs of up to P190 per sack are projected to decline by over 26 percent to P140 per sack upon completion.
Travel efficiency is also expected to improve sharply. Average travel time across the 2,182-hectare road influence area—covering coconut, rice, corn, and banana production zones—is projected to drop from 43.5 minutes to just over 10 minutes. During heavy rainfall and monsoon conditions, this translates into time savings of up to four hours for farmers and traders.
Economic viability indicators further support the project’s long-term benefits, with an Economic Internal Rate of Return of 14.4 percent and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.39, underscoring strong returns in productivity and rural income generation.
Beyond logistics improvements, the project is expected to enable agricultural expansion of up to 103 hectares over 20 years and encourage investment in coconut processing and value-adding enterprises.
In his remarks, Tiu Laurel emphasized the project’s strategic importance in advancing national development goals.
“This farm-to-market road is more than just infrastructure—it is a lifeline for our farmers and a direct investment in rural prosperity,” he said. “It fully supports the vision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a food-secure Philippines, where rural communities are empowered, productive, and integrated into strong value chains that uplift livelihoods.”
He added that improved connectivity will allow farmer organizations to reach wider markets, stabilize prices, and reinvest savings into productivity-enhancing technologies.
Officials said the project aligns with broader efforts under the Marcos administration to modernize agriculture and reduce rural isolation through sustained infrastructure development.
