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Aklan takes a major step toward modern agriculture as the Department of Agriculture (DA), in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), officially launched the construction of smart greenhouse facilities under the Value Chain Enhancement of High-Value Crops through Smart Agriculture (VEHCSA) Project during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Aklan Agri-Aqua Demo Farm and […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. urged rice farmers in areas served by rice processing systems (RPS) to focus on planting only one to two rice varieties, a move aimed at maximizing operational efficiency. The call comes in response to feedback from local farmers’ cooperatives operating RPS facilities, which emphasized the need to streamline production […]
Food poverty in the Philippines fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the latest OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa (TNM) Survey, signaling easing pressure on households as food access improves and prices stabilize amid government interventions. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. welcomed the survey results, noting that they reflect the impact […]
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. inspected the recently completed P94.8 million rice processing facility of the Hamtic Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Antique, underscoring the government’s push to modernize agriculture and raise farmer incomes in one of the Visayas’ key rice-producing provinces. The Rice Processing System (RPS), located in Barangay Poblacion […]
In a province known as the country’s main producer of rice, the Department of Agriculture is testing the commercial viability of a very different crop: the Australian redclaw crayfish. The DA is hopeful that the high value species can help reshape local aquaculture in Munoz, Nueva Ecija. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel led the ceremonial […]
A quiet but potentially transformative shift in Philippine agriculture is taking shape in this town named after the nut-producing tree, where a P500-million cold storage facility is nearing completion—an investment officials say could reshape farm incomes, stabilize food supply, and anchor a regional food logistics hub in the Bicol region. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel […]
The Department of Agriculture has approved the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s plan to export 100,000 metric tons of raw sugar to the US in an effort to reduce domestic raw sugar supply, which was a result of last crops 130,000 tons increase in local farmer production, and help lift sagging farmgate prices. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu […]
The government will roll out next week a major expansion of Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!, the flagship food program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as it sharpens its push to tame food prices while boosting farm incomes, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. The next phase will kick off in Lingayen, Pangasinan, with the […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. praised the passage of the proposed 2026 national budget, highlighting its higher allocation for the agriculture sector as a boost for food production, rural development, and long-term food security. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr signed on Monday the P6.793 Trillion national budget for 2026. “The increased outlay could enhance productivity, […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. promised more aggressive action from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to protect consumers and stabilize markets following the rising food prices driven by holiday demand and lingering supply disruptions that pushed inflation noticeably higher last December. “While rice prices continue to deflate, higher prices driven by holiday demand, weather […]