CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- The Economic Development Committee of the Regional Development Council (RDC)-10 approved the P20.32 billion proposed budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-10 for the year 2025 on February 20.

DA-10 Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado said 24 percent of the said budget is proposed under Tier 1 of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), while the remaining 76 percent will be lodged under Tier 2.

As part of its priority programs for 2025, DA-10 seeks to fund catalytic projects such as farm-to-market road development; agricultural machinery, equipment, and facilities support services; irrigation network services; production support services; Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD); metropolitan and agri-based products cluster approach; corn processing center expansion; and biosecurity and climate-resilient production facilities.

According to Collado, the proposed budget is a product of consultative planning, encompassing the needs and priorities of the agricultural stakeholders in the region.

“We craft the budget using a bottom-up approach. The projects we propose are mainly based on the endorsement of the LGUs and the validated intentions we received from farmers’ cooperatives and associations in the region," Collado said.

Statutory appropriation for gender and development, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and the youth, capacity development programs, and capacity building for devolved functions and services (Mandanas-Garcia ruling implementation) are also among the programs proposed for funding by the agency in 2025.

Under the proposed budget, DA-10 also seeks to complete the construction of its regional office, upgrade its research facilities, and establish a new integrated laboratory complex in the region.

This year, DA-10 secured a 19 percent GAA-approved budget from the RDC-10-endorsed budget proposal. (DA-10/PIA-10)