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Aside from smuggling, unchecked onion imports are pushing Filipino farmers to the brink, with disjointed government data and sloppy government response threatening to deepen the problem, Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson said. Lacson called out the Department of Agriculture and Philippine Statistics Authority for the discrepancies in their data on onion production and consumption, […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has stepped up its push for regional food security with the turnover of a P67.63-million rice processing system to the municipal government, a move seen to reinforce the role of Palawan not just as a premier tourist destination but as a critical food-producing hub. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is moving to lock in fertilizer supplies from key global producers as oil-driven price spikes threaten farm output later this year. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Manila has opened talks with several countries, including China and Russia, to ensure steady deliveries of the critical farm input. Tiu Laurel […]
The Department of Agriculture is weighing a price ceiling on imported rice as global tensions push up shipping and farm input costs, raising concerns about profiteering in the domestic grains market. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government is studying a cap of about P50 per kilo on imported rice, a level he […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and state-owned Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) urged Filipinos not to abuse the government’s subsidized rice program, warning that unusually large crowds at distribution sites are creating the false impression of a supply shortage. Officials said the flagship “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” initiative—popularly known as the P20-per-kilo rice program—continues to have […]
Amid the massive fuel price hike caused by the Middle East conflict, Senator Kiko Pangilinan appealed to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fast track the drafting of the implementing guidelines for the release of the P10-billion Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk. This is on top of the P75 million that the DA-Bureau of […]
The Department of Agriculture cracked down on underperforming contractors and suppliers in 2025, imposing roughly P81 million in penalties for delayed deliveries of farm inputs and slow implementation of government funded projects that disrupted key agricultural programs. The sanctions were compiled by the agency’s regional field offices following a directive issued recently by Agriculture Secretary […]
Food prices re-emerged as a key inflation driver in February, prompting the Department of Agriculture to step up measures aimed at shielding low-income households, as well as farmers and fisherfolk, from potential price shocks amid rising global uncertainty. The DA said it has intensified monitoring of food prices and supply following fresh data indicating faster […]
The Department of Agriculture escalated its crackdown on alleged illegal fertilizer manufacturing in Mindanao, issuing a formal Show Cause Order that could pave the way for stiff administrative and criminal penalties. Through the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), the DA’s regulatory arm, authorities ordered DQB Green Agricultural Products Trading in Makilala, North Cotabato to explain […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered a nationwide ground survey of farmer-beneficiaries as the Department of Agriculture escalates its probe into alleged substandard seeds, questionable fertilizer grades, and unreliable farm machinery distributed under government programs. Even before the survey got off the ground, Tiu Laurel said that the DA’s Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority […]