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Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered stricter market monitoring to ensure that the P43 per kilo maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) on imported rice is enforced—despite the current suspension of rice importation. “Teams from AMAS (the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service) will visit markets where price increases on imported rice have been reported. […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has officially declared Batanes as an “Organic Farming Practitioner Province,” a designation that is expected to enhance local livelihoods and position the province as a leading agro-tourism destination. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed the administrative order recently formalizing the recognition of Batanes as “organic by default”. Batanes’ 13,208.90 […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr., Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Paul Azcona, and SRA Board Member and Farmers’ Representative Dave Sanson met recently to address concerns over the low prices of raw sugar seen during the first sugar bidding in Negros on October 9. Sugar biddings are held weekly throughout the harvest season, typically spanning […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) formally accepted the Senate’s challenge to take the lead on farm-to-market road (FMR) projects—a responsibility long held by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). In remarks delivered during the Senate Committee on Finance hearing for the DA’s proposed 2026 budget, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. declared the […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) visit to Batanes, one of the northernmost provinces of the Philippines, to roll out critical support for the local farming and fishing communities. The visit marked the official launch of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship food program–“P20 Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”–in the province, […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government will extend the ban on rice importation until the end of this year, allow imports only in January 2026, and reimpose the ban in February, to stabilize supply in time for the dry season harvest. Speaking before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Agriculture, Tiu Laurel […]
Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Japanese Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi met on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Agriculture and Forestry Ministers Meeting to discuss deeper bilateral cooperation in agriculture, including enhanced trade, technology transfer, and sustainability efforts. A key focus of the bilateral talks was increasing Philippine […]
The National Food Authority (NFA) has mobilized truckloads of rice to storm‑ravaged Masbate—one of multiple relief measures ordered by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.—to alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of families hit by Severe Tropical Storm Opong over the weekend. “For one month in Masbate, we will be selling ₱20 rice to […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is poised to issue an executive order for emergency government procurement of palay, aiming to stabilize prices triggered by adverse weather and a bumper harvest—factors that have blunted the impact of the two‑month rice import ban. Speaking on the sidelines of the House’s 2026 budget […]
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 […]