The Department of Agriculture (DA) has reported significant benefits from increased agricultural investment since President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. took office.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. highlighted the increased resources available to the DA, with a budget of P117 billion in 2022 rising to P215 billion in 2026, and a proposed P250-billion budget for 2027.
Secretary Laurel addressed the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines’ Food Security Forum in Makati, emphasizing the importance of investing in agriculture to drive reform and improve productivity.
“Investment is where reform begins. It buys tractors instead of excuses. It builds irrigation instead of promises. It funds laboratories, hatcheries, stock farms, cold chain facilities, post-harvest systems, and digital infrastructure,” Secretary Laurel said.
Despite challenges such as erratic weather and lingering animal diseases, output for agriculture and fisheries grew 2.6% in 2025, while gross value added rose 3.1%.
The DA is working to address these challenges through various initiatives, including calibrating rice imports, expanding government-subsidized KADIWA stores, and selling rice to vulnerable members of society at P20 per kilo.
Secretary Laurel also highlighted the DA’s plans to invest in agricultural infrastructure, such as mega food hubs, food terminals, modern agriports, and fish hatcheries.
The DA’s legislative program includes the Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment Act and the Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act, among other initiatives.
Other highlights include the establishment of a vaccine development center at Central Luzon State University in Nueva Ecija, the expansion of the DA’s agricultural extension work force, and the launch of the Agricultural Command Center and the Agriculture-based Central Data Ecosystem platform.
On the sidelines of the forum, Secretary Laurel noted that the DA continues to deter smuggling and profiteering, citing more than 100 notices of violation of the P50 price cap on imported 5% broken rice.
The DA has also worked alongside the Bureau of Customs to seize misdeclared goods, smuggled cigarettes, and 200 tons worth of expired meat products.
Secretary Laurel acknowledged that while the DA has no enforcement power, the Bureau of Customs has charged many violators.
The DA will also oversee the construction of farm-to-market roads for the first time, a program inherited from the Public Works department that is expected to be “fast, complete, and very transparent.”
However, Secretary Laurel noted that the remaining challenges include unirrigated lands, high logistics costs, underfunded research, and climate change, which have contributed to agriculture’s share of gross domestic product declining to 7.9% in 2025 from 19% in 2005.
