The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pausing its plan to lower the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of imported rice next month, citing global market volatility driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East. The DA initially planned to lower the MSRP of five-percent broken imported rice...
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the government is stepping up efforts to address long-standing logistical issues in the agriculture sector through the ₱27.7-billion farm-to-market bridges development program (FMBDP). Laurel confirmed in a statement that the...
The European Union (EU) reaffirmed its opposition to the country-wide bans imposed by the Philippines on areas affected by animal diseases, questioning their consistency with global standards and their impact on the importation of meat commodities. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO),...
The Philippines is doubling its coconut planting target for next year to 50 million trees, as the government seeks to reclaim the country’s former title as the world’s top coconut producer. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, who heads the policymaking board of the Philippine Coconut...
The country’s sugar production in the current crop year has surpassed two million metric tons (MT), overcoming previous projections as the industry continues to recover from the impact of the El Niño phenomenon last year. As of June 8, sugar output had already reached 2.015 million MT, with...
The Philippines is expected to import less wheat in the upcoming market year as demand for animal feed weakens, reversing an initial forecast of increased uptake, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In its “Grain: World Markets and Trade report, the USDA’s Foreign...
Minimum wage earners can now take advantage of the government’s ₱20-per-kilo subsidized rice following its rollout in Manila led by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel and Labor Secretary Bienvenido...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is in support of a recommendation from a House of Representatives panel to revert the rice tariff rate from 15 percent to 35 percent—on the condition that this will be implemented gradually. During the final hearing of the House quinta committee on Wednesday,...
The Philippines is set to sign a record-high $1-billion loan agreement, or about ₱55.8 billion, from the World Bank to provide budgetary support for the country’s major infrastructure projects aimed at boosting the agriculture sector. According to the World Bank’s website, the funding support...
The Philippines is looking to export more high-value agricultural products, such as mangoes and bananas, to Egypt after recently gaining market access to the African market for durian. Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said he met with Egyptian Ambassador to the...
BACOLOD CITY – Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Thursday announced the approval of a P10-million pesticide assistance from the national government to address the infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) mainly in Negros Island. “Nandiyan na ang...
In a survey by Pulse Asia, 83 percent of Filipinos prefer brands with eco-friendly operations. While this reflects an interest in environment-safe businesses, all of us must be sustainability changemakers. Sounds heavy? Being one may even require a bit, if not much, of inventiveness. But Filipino...
