NEDA Urged to Establish Digital Agriculture Database in 2024

MANILA: Local food producers are calling on the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to create a digital agricultural statistics database, accessible online to all stakeholders, by 2024. Elias Jose Inciong, president of the United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA), emphasized the importance of such a database in guiding producers’ decisions to meet consumer demand accurately. Inciong attributed the current oversupply of chicken meat to decisions made without adequate information, resulting in significant price drops and financial challenges for poultry farmers.

According to Philippines News Agency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., in his last State of the Nation Address, stressed the importance of digitalization in improving government services and combating corruption. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) allocated PHP38.75 billion for digitalization in the 2024 budget, a 61 percent increase from the previous year. This investment reflects the growing significance of the digital economy and the need for efficient bureaucracy. With over PHP2 billion allocated for digitalization in 2024, NEDA is among the top ten government agencies receiving funding for this initiative.