DA-11 starts bidding out 2017 programs and projects
DAVAO CITY, Dec. 28 (PNA) — The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) rolled out the bidding process for its 2017 programs and projects involving infrastructure and farm machineries.
This was revealed by DA-11 Regional Director Ricardo Onate, who said they have started the bidding even if the projects will be implemented by January.
Onate said DA has a total budget of PHP1.418 billion in 2017 that would cover various programs and projects, namely: the rice program rice with PHP249.258 million allocation; corn program with PHP124.663 million; high value crops development program with PHP383.403 million; livestock program with PHP82,311 million; organic agriculture program with PHP15.666 million; and farm to market development program with PHP260 million. DA’s regular program has PHP302.864 million allocation.
Onate said the budget for 2017 is lesser than what was allocated in 2016 because projects under the Bottom-Up-Budgeting was already given to the local government units while projects under Pamana will now be implemented by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
The budget in 2016 was at P1.468 billion, he said.
“There is already a change in the process of implementation where we will start rolling out the projects at the beginning of the year,” he said.
He said their target is to put on the ground all projects by the first quarter of next year with an absorptive capacity of 70 percent.
Onate said that 50 percent of the budget is for the acquisition of equipment and machineries. (PNA)
LAP/LCM/DIGNA D. BANZON/LDP
