Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has called on Congress to fast-track long-pending measures and reform outdated institutions to revive the country’s underperforming farm sector.
In a press release, Tiu Laurel said the Department of Agriculture is seeking lawmakers’ support to strengthen the sector’s “structural backbone,” starting with antiquated laws that restrict efficiency and delay decision-making.
He cited recent reforms such as the Animal Industry and Competitiveness Act, which modernizes livestock, poultry and aquaculture with ₱20 billion in annual funding for 10 years.
Amendments to the Bureau of Plant Industry law are also nearing completion to streamline operations, improve accountability and cut red tape, while sidelined staff agencies will regain full line functions to speed up project delivery.
The DA is now prioritizing updates to commodity-specific laws for rice, corn and coconut to reinforce value chains and raise farmer incomes.
Tiu Laurel also underscored the urgency of fully unlocking the Coco Levy Fund, warning that further delays could waste opportunities amid high global coconut prices.
Beyond legislation, he stressed the need to bring extension workers back to the field as the “front line” of reform and accelerate cooperative development through new agri-coop programs, including a proposal by Senator Kiko Pangilinan to expand farmers’ access to credit, markets and support services.
The DA is rolling out “Bagsakan ng Bayan” mega food hubs in Clark, Bukidnon, Quezon and other key areas, alongside four mega cold storage facilities and about 60 modular units nationwide. More than 140 post-harvest facilities completed from 2023 to 2025 will support a hub-and-spoke system to reduce losses and stabilize prices.
For 2026, about ₱2.4 billion has been allocated for port projects, with nearly a dozen agri-ports planned to cut logistics costs and boost inter-island trade, particularly from Mindanao.
Tiu Laurel said agricultural policy is moving beyond a rice-centric approach to include sugar, coconut, corn, high-value crops, logistics and digitalization.
A new agriculture command center will go live this January, alongside efforts to modernize the National Food Authority and Food Terminal Inc.