The Philippines is preparing to increase its foreign rice purchases this year as the government moves to stabilize domestic supply and temper price volatility for Filipinos ' main food staple. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the country is ready to scale up shipments from its...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has formed a new standalone office aimed at boosting the competitiveness of local high-value crops such as bananas and ube in foreign markets amid an increasingly complex global value chain. Under Department Order (DO) No. 12 dated April 8, Agriculture Secretary...
United Sugar Producers’ Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) has called on the government to implement intervention measures such as cloud seeding to counter the impact of dry conditions on sugar production. UNIFED president Manuel Lamata said Negros Occidental province, which accounts for more...
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is pushing for swift passage of measures renationalizing agricultural and fisheries extension services and establishing a relevant bureau to strengthen the country’s food system amid global disruptions. Renationalizing extension services for agricultural and...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering the imposition of price ceilings on other agricultural commodities aside from imported rice should retail prices exceed reasonable levels. “If there’s profiteering, yes, we’ll do that,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel told...
The country’s meat imports in the first two months increased by nearly a quarter to more than 290,000 metric tons (MT), as traders looked to strengthen inventories despite sufficient domestic output. The latest data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that total meat imports from...
The country’s rice imports in the first quarter rose by nearly 37 percent to more than one million metric tons (MT) compared to a year ago, according to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI). The latest BPI data showed that rice imports from January to March reached 1.26 million MT, higher than the...
Businesses that demonstrate greed in times of crises--including the current phase of runaway fuel prices--will not be spared by the government. Thus, said Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, who on Black Saturday, April 4 reckoned that businessmen and traders must never profit from other people’s...
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Tuesday, March 31 announced that the AGRI-AGRA Team has organized a dedicated task force to closely monitor and respond to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. The said team is composed of representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the...
The Philippines’ rice imports may increase to over five million metric tons (MT) in the upcoming marketing year (MY) 2026-2027 to plug the shortfall in domestic production, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In a report, the USDA estimated that the country’s rice...
The Philippines has secured its largest-ever loan from the World Bank, with the Washington-based multilateral lender approving $1 billion on Friday, March 27. This funding will support the Philippines Sustainable Agricultural Transformation Project (PSAT), which will be implemented by the...
The government is now one step away from imposing a price ceiling of ₱50 per kilo on imported rice after the proposed policy received the recommendation of the interagency National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC). In a statement on Thursday, March 26, NPCC said it is adopting the Department of...
