Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said Monday that the Philippine agriculture sector is transitioning from a year of compounded challenges in 2024 into a period of recovery and reform this year, with the sector on track for a record harvest and broader structural improvements.
In his State of Philippine Agriculture Report after the flag ceremony, the DA chief described the confluence of events of the previous year as a “perfect storm,” citing crises caused by severe drought, multiple typhoons, volcanic eruptions, the effects of La Niña, and a resurgence of African Swine Fever that significantly affected the country’s agricultural output.
Yet, Secretary Tiu Laurel said that resilience and reform efforts are beginning to yield tangible results. “We are no strangers to adversity,” he said. “What matters is that we have used each challenge as an opportunity to push forward.”
Among the Department of Agriculture’s major achievements is the fulfillment of a campaign promise of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to provide Filipinos with more affordable rice, particularly the availability of rice priced at P20 per kilo.
Through the expansion of the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program, enhanced buffer stocking by the National Food Authority (NFA), and sustained distribution by Food Terminal Inc., P20 rice is now available in select areas for vulnerable sectors of the population. Meanwhile, the Rice-for-All program and the enforcement of a maximum suggested retail price have helped reduce market rice prices to P33–P43 per kilo, contributing to the drop in inflation to 1.3 percent in May—the lowest in six years.
Support for local farmers has also been reinforced. Along with the input, machinery and financial assistance from the Rice Tariffication Law, the NFA also raised its buying price for palay to P17–30 per kilo. Meantime, funding for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund under the amended RTL will triple to P30 billion starting next year.
Anti-smuggling efforts have intensified, with 18 firms blacklisted—more than the total in the past decade—and P3 billion worth of smuggled agricultural goods confiscated in last year, exceeding the 2023 haul by P1 billion. In recent months, several dozen container vans of smuggled fish, meat, and vegetables were intercepted, and could likely be test cases for the recently approved Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
The department is also advancing agricultural infrastructure.
Secretary Tiu Laurel said cold storage facilities, irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, agricultural seaports, and mega food hubs in Clark and Quezon are under development, while upgraded rice processing systems and warehouses are being completed and operationalized.
Multilateral partners such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Japan Bank for International Cooperation are providing financial and technical assistance.
International market access is expanding. Tiu Laurel noted that durian, mangoes, and avocados have secured new export approvals, while tamban has been officially recognized by the EU Codex, paving the way for broader sardine exports.
The agriculture sector posted 2.2 percent growth in the first quarter—an encouraging start in a year when the DA is projecting record crop production. With favorable conditions, Tiu Laurel said the department expects a record harvest of 20.46 million metric tons of palay, alongside the highest sugar output in years.
Animal diseases continue to pose a challenge to President Marcos’ vision of a food-secure Philippines. In response, the DA has established a vaccine development center at Central Luzon State University and is working closely with the Food and Drug Administration to expedite the commercial rollout of an ASF vaccine.
Tiu Laurel said the recently passed Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act is a significant step toward a more modern and resilient livestock sector.
“The true measure of success,” he said, “is how many lives we are able to improve.” ### (Photo by DA-AFID)
