Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. brought the Department of Agriculture’s farm-to-market push to the ground, leading the launch of two major projects in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro —initiatives designed to lift farm incomes, cut post-harvest losses, and strengthen food security in one of the country’s key food-producing provinces.
At the center is the Oriental Mindoro Trading and Consolidation Facility (OMTCF), a ₱33.5-million facility funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
Built as a centralized hub for consolidation, trading, and distribution, the OMTCF aims to address a long-standing weakness in Philippine agriculture: fragmented logistics that force farmers to sell produce at low prices and at unfavorable timing.
“This is how you raise farmer incomes—not by telling them to plant more, but by making sure what they harvest actually reaches the market at the right price.”
“This is how you raise farmer incomes—not by telling them to plant more, but by making sure what they harvest actually reaches the market at the right price,” Tiu Laurel said.
“When farmers earn more, rural economies move faster, food becomes more affordable, and food security becomes real,” the agriculture chief added.
The 966.75-square-meter facility houses 18 trading stalls, storage areas, washing, sorting, weighing, and packing zones, as well as dedicated loading bays—designed to move produce efficiently from farms to buyers while minimizing spoilage. It serves both organized and independent farmers and cooperatives, providing hauling, primary processing, and market linkage services, including access to institutional buyers and online platforms.
Complementing the OMTCF is the Provincial Demo Farm, a cluster of facilities that support value-adding activities beyond raw production. These include agriprocessing centers equipped with modern dehydrators, vacuum fryers, and baking systems; the FoodtrIP mobile processing truck that converts surplus harvests into shelf-stable products during peak seasons; and a solar-powered greenhouse with hydroponics, enabling year-round production of high-value crops.
“This is what a modern agriculture ecosystem should look like.”
“This is what a modern agriculture ecosystem should look like,” he said. “Production, processing, logistics, and markets working together—so farmers are no longer price takers, but active players in the value chain.”
Also launched was the Provincial Agriculture Center (PAC), developed under the Climate-Resilient and Inclusive Green Growth Program with support from international and local partners. The PAC provides agri-incubation, toll processing, extended aggregation, and market linkage services, working in tandem with the OMTCF to ensure a steady flow of agricultural products in response to market demand.
Alongside these investments, the DA is expanding the ₱20 ‘Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!’ Rice Project in Oriental Mindoro through KADIWA ng Pangulo—a food security initiative that ensures affordable rice for vulnerable households while supporting local producers. The program is expected to benefit around 70,000 households across the province.
Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said Oriental Mindoro is well-positioned for the program’s expansion, particularly with the main harvest season approaching.
“This is the perfect opportunity to expand the ₱20 Rice Project in Oriental Mindoro,” Velicaria-Guevarra said. “With the main harvest season coming in March, our latest inventory shows sufficient palay stocks in NFA warehouses that can be released, allowing the NFA to continuously buy palay at a fair price from our farmers.”
The Provincial Local Government of Oriental Mindoro (PLGU) committed to continue assisting the DA, Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), and the National Food Authority (NFA) in meeting logistical requirements across the province to ensure rice reaches intended beneficiaries efficiently and on time.
