BEAUFORT: Cattle farmers and smallholder oil palm planters in Padas Damit are questioning why a promised three-kilometre road gravelling project has yet to be implemented, despite being approved by Sipitang Member of Parliament Datuk Matbali Musah.
A farmer, who declined to be named, contacted Daily Express recently, expressing frustration over the prolonged delay.
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He said the road leading to the Padas Damit cattle grazing area and oil palm smallholdings has been left in disrepair for an extended period despite receiving approval.
It is understood that the Sipitang Member of Parliament had announced the project last year, saying that a selected contractor would carry out the gravelling works.
However, as of 2026, no work has commenced, leaving farmers and smallholders disappointed.
“We have been waiting for so long for this project to be expedited to make it easier for us to transport our cattle to the grazing fields and to collect our oil palm fruit,” the farmers said.
They urged that the gravelling work be carried out by the appointed contractor without further delay to prevent the road from deteriorating further.
The farmers hope Matbali will be more responsive to this issue, pointing out that the road improvement is needed by the community, particularly those in the B40 income group.
