ILOILO CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that agribusiness ventures in Western Visayas and Negros Occidental were among the national winners in the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC). The DA-Western Visayas led by Director Dennis Arpia produced four winners in the start-up categories...
South Korean actress Han Da-gam has announced that she is expecting her first child at the age of 45. In a heartfelt letter posted on Instagram, the actress—formerly known as Han Eun-jung—shared that she became pregnant in her sixth year of marriage, describing the moment as both emotional and...
The World Bank has given its go-ahead to the $24.5-million Technical Assistance for Sustainable Agricultural Transformation (TASAT) program, which will complement the Philippines’ largest-ever single loan from the Washington-based multilateral lender aimed at diversifying the sector and moving...
Camarines Sur-based lawmakers are prodding the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expand the scope and duration of its month-long toll-free transport of farm produce. Rep. Migz Villafuerte of the province 's 5th district and Rep. Luigi Villafuerte of the...
The Philippines has launched a safeguard investigation into rice imports, as authorities move to assess whether a surge in inbound shipments is harming domestic farmers of the country’s primary food staple. In an April 15 notification to the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO), the...
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...