DA thanks Congress for approving ’24 budget
DEPARTMENT of of Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban thanked the House of Representatives for approving DA’s 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) amounting to P167.5 billion, six percent higher than its 2023 funds under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Domingo said that the DA’s 2024 NEP focuses on investments that lower production costs, improve the value chains and promote consolidation and modernization in response to the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to boost agricultural production for food security and economic growth.
He disclosed that the amount of P30.869 billion will be allocated for the National Rice Program, P6.09-B for the National Fisheries Program and P5.28B for the National Corn Program.
The National Livestock Program, National High-Value Crops Development Program, National Organic Agriculture Program, National Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Program and the Halal Food Industry Development Program will each receive P4.35 billion, P1.94 billion, P921 million, P436 million and P19 million, respectively.
Isabela Representative and DA budget sponsor Antonio “Tonypet” Albano said the proposed budget “is a clear articulation of the administration’s agenda for agricultural development that is the very foundation of our nation’s sustained growth in the years ahead.”
He added that with the budget, the DA shall pursue the reduction of production costs, enhance capabilities for local production, provide essential support services from farm inputs to requisite farm machinery and infrastructure and promote farm and fisheries modernization.
Meanwhile, the DA NEP’s salient features include the allocation of P9.80 billion for hybrid rice seed assistance, P9.55 billion for fertilizer assistance, P2.750 billion for agri credit programs, P2.49 billion for yellow corn seeds and fertilizers and P2.20 billion for hog repopulation and recovery.
Moreover, P1 billion will be allotted for Quick Response Fund, P492.7 million for the Kadiwa Program, P374 million for onion cold storage, P236.6 million for aquaculture and mariculture, P230 million for legislated hatcheries, P149.31 million for durian expansion and P30.91 million for community gardens.
The Congress also approved on second reading House Bill 9284, as amended, which would expand Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
It seeks to declare as economic sabotage crimes such as large-scale smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, cartelizing and other acts of market abuse of agri-fishery commodities and tobacco.
