Dominican Republic Ministry of Agriculture audit reveals massive budget discrepancies

Audits conducted by the Comptroller General of the Republic have revealed significant financial discrepancies within the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Agriculture between 2020 and 2024.

Specifically, between 2021 and 2023, the Ministry executed a budget of RD$76,517.4 million, which is seven times higher than the RD$11,297.2 million stipulated in its annual public procurement and contracting plan (PACC). This represents a difference of RD$65,220.1 million between actual execution and planned procurement.

The Ministry’s spending also exceeded its Annual Operating Plan (POA) by RD$24,523.3 million. The Comptroller noted that these discrepancies violate Article 26 of Law 10-17, creating risks that procurement planning may not reflect the institution’s real needs or that processes may have been executed outside the law. Additionally, the audits found that the planning instruments lacked the required approval signatures from the highest authority of the agency.