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FPA, CIDG NAB SELLERS OF UNREGISTERED FERTILIZERS

In a joint entrapment operation, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the Aritao Municipal Police arrested three individuals in Nueva Vizcaya for selling unregistered fertilizers and agricultural growth hormones. The operation, conducted recently in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya, followed reports of illegal sales of agricultural products not authorized […]

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DA: PUBLIC TRANSPORT WORKERS CAN BUY P20/KILO RICE

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to rollout of Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!—the flagship affordable rice initiative of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—on Tuesday, September 16, to initially reach more than 57,000 public transport workers across five major cities. From bus, jeepney, and tricycle drivers to transport operators, the transport sector now joins the ranks […]

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TIU LAUREL: CAMARINES SUR IS NOW BIRD FLU-FREE

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has officially declared Camarines Sur free from avian influenza, five months after the province’s last recorded case of the highly pathogenic H5N9 bird flu virus. The declaration, issued through Memorandum Circular No. 27 signed recently follows a comprehensive disease control and surveillance campaign.  The last confirmed case was detected […]

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DA BATS FOR RICE TARIFFICATION LAW AMENDMENT

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is urging Congress to back its bid to restore and expand the grains purchasing powers of the National Food Authority—a move aimed at bolstering food security by empowering the agency to directly buy corn and rice from local farmers and cooperatives. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the proposal […]

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DA, WORLD BANK TO GIVE PH AGRI CLIMATE INSURANCE

The World Bank is backing a five-year, $70 million initiative to create a co-insurance pool that will cushion Philippine agriculture from escalating climate-related risks. Set to roll out in 2026, the project aims to benefit 750,000 small farmers and fisherfolk by the time it wraps up in 2030, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. “The […]

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DA ROLLS OUT ‘BENTENG BIGAS’ PROGRAM IN BOHOL

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the official launch in Bien Unido, Bohol of his flagship food program, “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”, an initiative that makes the P20-per-kilo rice available to thousands of qualified beneficiaries. This flagship initiative of Marcos carried out by the Department of Agriculture is a key step toward delivering affordable food to […]

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NFA SETS OCTOBER AUCTION OF AGING NFA RICE STOCKS

The National Food Authority (NFA) is preparing to auction off up to 60,000 metric tons of aging rice stocks in October, aiming to prevent spoilage, free up warehouse space, and support rice supply amid an import suspension. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who chairs the NFA Council, said the move aligns with President Ferdinand […]

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DA: JEEPNEY, TRIKE DRIVERS CAN BUY P20/KILO RICE

The Department of Agriculture (DA) will begin distributing P20-per-kilo rice to jeepney and tricycle drivers, further expanding the reach of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship food program, Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! “We will initially roll out the P20 rice program for tricycle and jeepney drivers on September 16 in five pilot areas,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu […]

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TIU LAUREL: FISHERFOLK CAN NOW BUY P20/KILO RICE

The Department of Agriculture (DA) launched the expanded rollout of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”—the flagship food program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.–at select major fish ports in Luzon for the benefit of fisherfolk and registered fishery sector workers. Initially covering the Navotas Fish Complex in Metro Manila, Sual Fish Port in Pangasinan, and the […]

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TIU LAUREL: NO ‘GHOST DELIVERIES’ OF FERTILIZERS

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. fired back at allegations of “ghost deliveries” of fertilizer raised by the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag), calling the claims unfounded and potentially damaging to the Department of Agriculture. “We’ve already admitted before the Senate that there were indeed delays in fertilizer deliveries in Regions 1, 2, and 4B. […]