Latest in farmersPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still has two years to act on the most urgent threat facing Philippine agriculture: the flood of imported food that is wiping out local farmers one sector at a time. This was the assessment of former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol, who stressed that the…
The government’s approach of giving farmers cash assistance and handouts as its primary agricultural intervention is wrong, counterproductive, and breeds dependence rather than productivity, former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said Wednesday. The former Agriculture chief made the…
The Marcos administration’s proposed 2027 national budget grows the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) allocation by 12.66% from the current year, with major provisions covering rice programs, irrigation, farm-to-market roads, and crop insurance for 2.3 million small farmers and fisherfolk, Budget…
The National Food Authority (NFA) can now buy freshly harvested or wet palay for the first time, freeing farmers from having to sell cheaply to traders when they need to move their grain quickly after harvest, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said Saturday. Lacson made the disclosure in an interview…
When Agriculture Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel took office under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in November 2023, he received three clear directives—clean up the department, implement ₱20-per-kilo rice, and help farmers earn. Years later, Tiu Laurel says there have been wins—but also…
Press Undersecretary Claire Castro fired back at Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday, June 30, after the senator delivered a speech at the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) rally along EDSA, accusing her of spreading baseless claims and inciting anger against the government of her own brother, President…
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz dealt a “double whammy” to Filipino farmers, driving up fertilizer prices on top of already elevated costs from the broader Iran conflict, Senate President Win Gatchalian said Saturday, warning that the agriculture sector has borne a disproportionate share of…
With an intensifying El Niño forecast to grip most of the Philippines by the last quarter of 2026, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is urging communities not to wait—laying out a practical set of low-cost interventions that households, farmers, and local governments can begin acting…
As many as 49 provinces across the Philippines are expected to record below-normal rainfall by October as an intensifying El Niño episode takes hold—and the dry spell may persist well into early 2027, the country’s top science official warned Saturday. Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said…
More than 199,000 residents in Albay were affected after Mayon Volcano unleashed thick ashfall on Saturday, May 2, with farmers bearing the brunt of the disaster as crops were destroyed and livestock killed across the province. In Camalig, vegetables wilted under the weight of the ash while cattle…
The food that reaches a Filipino consumer’s table has passed through as many as seven to eight hands before getting there, and each transfer comes with a markup—a problem deeply embedded in how Philippine agriculture works, and one that an economist says is compounding the damage of the current…
Former Agriculture Secretary Leony Montemayor is calling on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to explain why participation in its procurement bidding process for fertilizers, seeds, and farm inputs appears to be limited — raising concerns that qualified suppliers may already be excluded before…
A war thousands of kilometers away is beginning to ripple through something as basic as the Filipino dining table. The conflict involving Iran has pushed oil prices higher, disrupted key shipping routes, and strained global supply chains—especially for fertilizer, a critical input for food…
For now, food remains available. Rice is being harvested, fish supply is steady, and markets are holding despite rising costs linked to tensions in the Middle East. That buffer, according to Agriculture Undersecretary Asis Perez, comes down to timing. The crisis coincided with harvest season…
The day’s most important stories in the Philippines and the world, in one five-minute read. Delivered at 6 AM, Monday to Saturday.