SANTA ROSA, Nueva Ecija (April 8, 2026)—The Department of Agriculture is ramping up efforts to shield farmers from volatile fertilizer prices, with Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. joining more than 100 rice farmers at a harvest festival showcasing a lower-cost fertilization protocol.
The pilot, rolled out across 10 hectares in Santa Rosa in the country’s top rice-producing province, comes as global oil and gas price swings—intensified by tensions in the Middle East—continue to drive up the cost of urea, a key nitrogen input. The initiative highlights the government’s push to reduce farmers’ exposure to energy-linked price shocks while sustaining yields.
The initiative, as directed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to find ways to boost farmers’ income and cut production cost, highlights the DA’s push to reduce farmers’ exposure to energy-linked price shocks while sustaining yields.
“This is about protecting farmers from price volatility while keeping productivity intact,” Tiu Laurel said, noting the need to rethink input strategies as production costs rise. ### (Photos by Joseph Henry Elampayo, AFID & Darrel Gultia, OSEC Comms)
