DA to hold monthly talks with agri stakeholders

Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. will hold monthly dialogues with farmers, businessmen and traders of agricultural commodities to find out how best to improve their output and markets.

The monthly meetings would help the DA better attend to the needs of every industry.

“There’s many of them  (agricultural commodities). We really need to focus, and DA must assign someone for each industry,” Laurel told reporters on the sidelines of an agriculture forum held recently in Makati City.

“Now, all of our undersecretaries, all assistant secretaries, and directors will each be assigned to each and every commodity that we have in the Philippines,” he said.

According to Tiu, DA officials would be required to submit a monthly report on what they agreed upon with the stakeholders and what should be done in the succeeding months.

Earlier, a lawmaker said a total of P8.3 billion in funds from tariffs can be used to enhance the competitiveness of local agricultural producers, said a Business Mirror report.

During plenary deliberations at the Lower House on the 2025 budget for the Department of Agriculture (DA), Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera said the balance of the Competitive Enhancement Measures Fund (CEMF) was around P4.5 billion while the Trade Remedies Fund (TRF) stood at P3.8 billion.

However, Herrera believes the P10 million allocation by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the TRF in 2025 isn’t enough.

“Maybe it’s possible to increase this P10 million [allocation]. The DA’s Trade Remedies Unit is a critical policy-making body that deals with unfair trade practices,” Herrera said.

Republic Act 8800 (Safeguard Measures Act) defines the TRF as consisting of 50 percent of revenues collected from fees, charges and duties on imports. The funds are earmarked for the implementation of remedies, including safeguard measures.

The other half going to the CEMF would be used for competitiveness-enhancement measures for industries affected by the increased imports.

Government documents showed that the DA received a P10-million appropriation from TRF and P250 million appropriation from CEMF.