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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is moving to tighten the country’s rice import policy by extending the current two-month import suspension and raising tariffs on foreign rice, in a bid to stabilize palay prices and protect Filipino farmers during the peak of the harvest season. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. made the announcement, saying the […]
Pampanga First District Representative Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. has filed House Resolution No. 278 requesting the Department of Agriculture (DA) to establish KADIWA ‘Benteng Bigas Meron Na’ Rolling Stores in Pampangas’ 1st District. Officially launched in Batangas on July 10, 2025, the KADIWA Rolling Store is part of the food security programs of President Ferdinand Marcos, […]
Officials from the Department of Agriculture led the formal turnover of a P70.2-million rice processing facility to farmers in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro—one of the country’s major rice-producing towns. “This is another step toward realizing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of a modernized agricultural sector—one where farmers are more productive and profitable, food supply is stable, […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted its temporary import ban on poultry and related products from Israel and South Dakota in the United States, following the successful containment of recent avian influenza outbreaks in those areas. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued separate administrative orders ending the bans, which previously halted the entry […]
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the inauguration of a P61.7 million Rice Processing System (RPS) in this rice-producing town, marking the fifth such facility established in the province of Pampanga under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). Designated as RPS 2, the newly inaugurated facility features a multi-stage rice mill with a capacity of up […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]