Agriculture

FOR ABOUT TWO years, the Philippines lost its 2nd place footing as top banana exporter. But last year, it regained such rank in what is seen as a vote of confidence for the country’s agricultural strategy and a springboard for more more aggressive export expansion, the Department of Agriculture said in a press release. DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel …

By DA Press Office Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. asked farmers in areas with rice processing systems to plant 1 to 2 rice varieties to maximize operational efficiency.  This is in response to feedback from local farmers’ cooperatives operating RPS facilities, which stressed the need to streamline production for  smoother and more efficient processing. Laurel said that while …

BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz THE BASIC registry for farmers/fisherfolk to avail of financial aid and farm input subsidies from the government– the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture– was flagged by the Senate as defective and flawed. At the hearing of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, Senator Rafael T. Tulfo said many government …

NEGROS Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson asked the government to address the mounting crisis in the province’s sugar industry, pointing at artificial sweeteners as one of the factors contributing to the low millgate price of sugar. “As the country’s major sugar-producing province, we are particularly concerned about recent developments in the local sugar and sweetener market and their implications on …

Following the tragic trash slide in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City last January 8, that killed and buried many and destroyed some houses, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered a thorough review of all operating landfills in the country to prevent similar disasters. DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla, in a press release, said the move is part of a …

Sovereign wealth fund manager Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC) seeks to close strategic agribusiness deals within the first six months of 2026, backing firms ready to scale production and expand the country’s export capacity. In a statement on Monday, MIC said it will focus on special situations and strategic mergers and acquisitions in the agricultural sector. It is looking at businesses …

By Rose de la Cruz IT CERTAINLY would be a good, if not the best, year in 2026 for the Department of Agriculture. Considering that it is set to get a final allocation of at least P216.1 billion after various legislative adjustments.  The DA welcomed the House’s approval of its proposed P216.1 billion budget for 2026—a P39.4 billion increase from …

THE damage on irrigation systems caused by illegal quarrying in the Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System (UPRIS) is expected to disrupt the planting of rice in 37,000 hectares in Nueva Ecija– the country’s rice bowl – prompting the Department of Agriculture to shift production in said farms to mungbean production. The disruption threatens to slash the country’s summer rice harvest …

WITH onion harvest coming by the start of February, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform told the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to intensify their operations against onion smuggling, warning that illegal imports could once again undermine local farmers and distort market prices. Pangilinan stressed that the influx …

By DA Press Office THE ban on sugar importation would stay until December 2026– not September as reported– to extend the protection for local sugar producers in view of improving supply conditions, the Department of Agriculture said. “Based on the current outlook for sugar production and demand, a longer import moratorium than initially suggested is necessary,” explained DA Secretary Francisco …