THE Department of Agriculture (DA) plans to restructure funding for the Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act (Aidca), including seeking a larger budget for milk feeding and dairy herd expansion.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. outlined the proposal on Wednesday at the Senate finance subcommittee hearing on the DA’s proposed 2027 budget.
Republic Act 12308, signed on Sept. 25, 2025, seeks to modernize and strengthen the country’s livestock, poultry and dairy industries.
Tiu Laurel said the DA was seeking P24 billion plus another P15 billion. He also referred to nearly P9 billion that could be added to the budget, although the breakdown and proposed funding sources were not immediately clear.
The Agriculture department wants to expand the milk feeding program and establish more stock farms under the National Dairy Authority to help build the domestic dairy herd.
Tiu Laurel said the P20-billion Aidca allocation for 2026 could not be used next year under the rules of the General Appropriations Act (GAA). The department wants the funding included in the 2028 budget instead.
“Under the GAA rules, we cannot use it next year, so it would go to waste. We are asking whether it can be removed from our budget next year,” he said.
