The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to leverage its proposed higher budget next year to drive growth in the country’s farm, fisheries, and livestock sector, ensuring greater food security in the process.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the agency’s proposed budget next year stands at ₱176.7 billion, 14 percent higher than this year’s budget of ₱155.56 billion.

The amount is markedly higher than the ₱153.9 billion allotted for DA and its attached agencies under the government’s National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“We’ve come a long way, but the journey ahead remains long. While we have achieved much, there is still more to be done to realize our shared goal: to champion a prosperous farm, fisheries, and livestock sector that creates jobs for millions of Filipinos and ensures a food-secure Philippines,” said Tiu Laurel.

The DA chief called on his colleagues in the agency to ensure that the budget will be utilized, as it anticipates strict scrutiny over its 2026 budget in the upcoming budget deliberations in Congress.

He noted after a strong first quarter, there was a slowdown in fund obligations during succeeding months.

“We must perform well. We cannot ask for more resources if we fail to deliver,” Tiu Laurel said.

In particular, Tiu Laurel pushed for a stronger utilization of the proposed ₱30 billion allocation for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which will fund the modernization of farm machinery and equipment and expand credit access, among others.

He also identified the earmarked ₱43.9 billion for national programs supporting rice, corn, high-value crops, organic agriculture, livestock, and urban farming.

As indicated under the NEP, the agency’s m National Rice Program (NRP) will see its funding jump by 38 percent to ₱29.9 billion from this year’s ₱21.7 billion budget in 2025.

Under the NRP, the DA provides fertilizers with quality inbred and hybrid rice seeds that aims to help local farmers boost their crop yields.

The Rice for All program, which includes the ₱20-per-kilo rice program, will be given ₱10 billion to further expand access to cheaper rice.

For buffer stocking, the DA will be allotted ₱11.2 billion for the procurement of 300,000 metric tons (MT) of palay or unmilled rice that will be used during crises.

The agency will have a ₱16 billion funding for the construction of 1,067 kilometers of farm-to-market roads (FMRs), while an additional ₱2.1 billion will be invested to pioneer a national agricultural food hub in Clark, Pampanga.

Aside from these earmarked programs, the DA is also pushing amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law and the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act.

Tiu Laurel said amending these laws would reverse policies that slows down the sector’s growth, while strengthening support for farmers and would reverse

“We need to move as one unit—sharing our talents, acknowledging our limits, and paddling in unison, just as a dragon boat crew moves to the steady rhythm of a single beat,” he said.

To gather support for its proposed funding and legislative reforms, Tiu Laurel said he recently met with Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga and Senator Francis Pangilinan, chairs of the House and Senate agriculture committees, to rally bipartisan backing.