The Department of Agriculture (DA) is once again under the microscope after the Commission on Audit (CoA) flagged thousands of questionable beneficiaries and project lapses in its 2024 audit report.

At the center of the findings is the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program, where CoA found that more than 58,000 listed beneficiaries were not actually eligible for the cash aid.

Based on the audit, 58,784 farmer-beneficiaries across Regions I, IV-A, IV-B, V, IX, X and XI failed to meet one or more of the program’s requirements. CoA said some recipients were not rice farmers, others were not registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBA), some owned or tilled more than the two-hectare limit, while a large number failed to submit documents proving the size of their farmland.

Under DA Memorandum Circular No. 16 (2019), the RFFA provides P5,000 in cash assistance to small rice farmers affected by falling farmgate prices.

The CoA broke down the figures further, noting that 333 beneficiaries were non-rice farmers, 295 were unregistered, 453 exceeded the landholding limit, and a staggering 57,703 failed to submit supporting documents.

“As a result, it cannot be ascertained whether these farmers were eligible to receive the cash assistance,” CoA said.

The audit also uncovered additional red flags. In Region XII, 799 beneficiaries were already inactive, while validation records showed that 21,392 farmers in Regions VII and XIII were either deceased or not listed as eligible beneficiaries.

“This means the cash assistance may have gone to individuals whose eligibility was questionable — funds that could have otherwise supported qualified farmers,” CoA said.

Meanwhile, 48,020 farmers in Regions VI and XII, accounting for 16.06 percent of the listed eligible beneficiaries, did not receive any assistance at all, reportedly due to lapses in coordination and validation among institutional partners of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

In response, the DA said it would tighten eligibility checks and conduct regular field validation to ensure that only qualified farmers benefit from the program.

Goat project losses also flagged

The CoA also flagged the losses in the Anglo-Nubian and Saanen Goat Production Project, after 52 goats worth P2.438 million died in 2024 while under the custody of the DA-Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center in Sual.

Inventory records showed the facility initially had 68 Anglo-Nubian and 33 Saanen breeder goats, but more than half died due to various illnesses. Necropsy reports cited disease, while affidavits from farm staff pointed to malnutrition, weak immune systems, environmental stress, and natural calamities.

CoA noted that while the project was established in 2022, it received no Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses funding from 2023 onward, forcing staff to rely on surplus feed from the National Livestock Program (NLP) and whatever forage was available.

The DA regional office explained that the goats were procured under a locally funded project not included in the department’s regular programs, leading to funding gaps. Feed deliveries from the NLP were also intermittent in early 2024 and stopped altogether in the second half of the year due to procurement delays.

CoA recommended integrating the project into the DA’s regular programs, ensuring proper funding for feed, medicine, and animal care. It also suggested distributing the remaining goats to qualified beneficiaries or transferring them to other viable projects.

For its part, the regional office said the 2025 budget now includes funds for goat feed, adding that current supplies remain adequate, with 143 bags in stock and an additional 160 bags delivered in April 2025.

The audit findings underscored CoA’s warning that without stronger validation and sustained funding, even well-intentioned agriculture programs risk missing their mark.