The budget for the DA 2024 rice program has been allocated at P30.87 billion.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that it plans to allocate P30.87 billion from its budget for the National Rice Program by 2024.

According to the National Expenditure Program (NEP), the total budget for the DA in 2024 is P167.5 billion.

Next year’s allocation priorities are a reflection of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to increase agricultural output for the sake of food security and economic advancement.

The DA stated that its 2024 NEP prioritizes investments aimed at reducing production expenses, enhancing value chains, and encouraging the consolidation and modernization of farms.

The Department of Agriculture stated that the National Fisheries Program will receive P6.09 billion, while the National Corn Program will receive P5.28 billion.

According to the DA, the upcoming NEP will allocate P4.35 billion for livestock and P1.94 billion for high-value crops.

Furthermore, the National Organic Agriculture Program, National Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Program, and Halal Food Industry Development Program will receive P921 million, P436 million, and P19 million, respectively.

The NEP includes allocations of P9.80 billion for hybrid rice seed assistance, P9.55 billion for fertilizer assistance, and P2.750 billion for credit programs, according to the statement from the DA.

Additionally, P2.49 billion will be allocated for the purchase of yellow corn seeds and fertilizers, while another P2.20 billion will be used for hog repopulation efforts.

The Department of Agriculture stated that an amount of P1 billion will be designated for the Quick Response Fund, P492.7 million for the Kadiwa Program which consists of food stores that directly source from farms, P374 million for onion cold storage, and P236.6 million for aquaculture and mariculture.

The amount allocated for hatcheries was approximately P230 million, while P149.31 million was designated for expanding durian planting and P30.91 million for community gardens.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the National Government’s proposed budget of P5.786 trillion for the upcoming year, which represents a 9.5% increase from the current year’s budget. – Adrian H. Halili