Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) laments that the proposed 2024 national budget for food and agriculture is very meager compared to the budget allocation for military spending, debt interest payments, and infrastructure. Food security advocates picketed outside the House of Representatives coinciding with the Department of Agriculture (DA) 2024 budget hearing.
In its critique of the 2024 proposed national budget, KMP said while the overall budget for agriculture and agrarian reform increased by 6% to ₱197.84 billion (DAR, DA, attached agencies), it is only a paltry or 3.43% of the ₱5.768 trillion national budget requested by Marcos Jr. Even the budget for the Department of National Defense (₱229.93 billion), Philippine National Police (₱195.73 billion), and Department of Public Works and Highways (₱821.10 billion) is way much larger than the budget earmarked for the domestic rice industry and food production. Agriculture is also in the 8th place of the national government’s priority sectors based on the proposed budget of national government agencies. “Contrary to the President’s claim, agriculture, and food security are not real priorities of this administration,” according to Ronnie Manalo, secretary general of KMP.
KMP noted that only ₱30.9 billion is proposed for DA’s National Rice Program while a whopping ₱1.246 trillion is requested for Marcos Jr’s Build, Better, More infrastructure program. “Based on our computation, for every peso spent for local rice production, the government will spend a higher ₱40 for national roads, bridges, airports, and other infra projects,” Manalo said. “Even the entire proposed budget of the Department of Agriculture of ₱105.9 billion is lower than the budget allotted for the pension of uniformed personnel amounting to ₱129.8 billion. The total budget for confidential and intelligence funds amounting to ₱10.5 billion is higher than the NFA’s Rice Buffer Stocking Program budget of ₱9 billion. President Marcos Jr’s requested budget for travel and foreign trips amounting to ₱1.4 billion is higher than the one billion pesos fuel subsidy allotted for corn farmers and fisherfolks. The skewed priorities in the proposed national budget are glaring and unacceptable,” the KMP leader said.
Aside from the mispriorities in the national budget, KMP also noted the very limited beneficiaries of the DA’s programs and projects compared to the millions of farmers and fisherfolk in need of urgent assistance and agriculture subsidies. “Maliit na nga ang pondo para sa agrikultura, hindi pa napapakinabangan ng mas marami at may mga nasasayang pang pondo,” the KMP leader said, referring to COA’s “red flags” on its audit report on DA for 2022:
The Department of Agriculture (DA) failed to distribute a total of 855,493 bags of rice seeds meant for farmers under the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
> 14,192 bags of rice seeds were damaged and to be used as animal feed.
> 83,114 bags were donated to the DSWD and BJMP
> 750,000 bags are kept as inventory for the next cropping season
DA also failed to distribute 2,088 pieces of farm machinery. COA said the non-distribution of the seeds and equipment deprived the farmers of their needed assistance. The undistributed farm machinery includes 942 hand tractors, 599 floating tillers, 329 reapers, and 215 recirculating dryers.
COA also called out the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for the delays or termination of 83 projects covering three calendar years and amounting to a total of P1.2 billion and COA flagged the DA for lapses in procurement of 8,845 bags of onion DA and FTI worth P140 million.
KMP said it will propose a higher budget for domestic rice production and significant agricultural subsidies for farmers, fisherfolks, and stakeholders in food production. ###
