Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. is urging Congress to fast-track long-pending legislation and revamp entrenched institutions as the government seeks to jump-start a farm sector weighed down by years of weak growth.
Tiu Laurel said the Department of Agriculture has asked lawmakers to help repair the sector’s “structural backbone,” starting with outdated laws that govern key agencies and slow decision-making.
Congress has passed the Animal Industry and Competitiveness Act, modernizing livestock, poultry and aquaculture with P20 billion in annual funding over the next decade. Meanwhile, amendments to the Bureau of Plant Industry law are nearing completion to streamline operations, tighten accountability and restore staff agencies to full line functions, Tiu Laurel said.
Focus is now shifting to outdated commodity laws, with amendments covering rice, corn and coconut aimed at strengthening value chains and boosting farmer incomes.
“With global coconut prices expected to remain high, further delays risk squandering a strategic advantage,” Tiu Laurel warned. He stressed that farmers could miss out on peak global demand if the long-delayed Coco Levy Fund remains inaccessible.
He said legislation must be backed by on-the-ground reforms, with extension workers returning to the field as the “front line” of change. He also noted expanded agri-coop programs with Senator Francis Pangilinan to widen access to credit, markets and support services.
The reform push is being matched by higher infrastructure spending, including “Bagsakan ng Bayan” mega food hubs in Clark, Bukidnon and Quezon. Four mega cold storage facilities are set for completion next year, along with about 60 modular facilities nationwide.
More than 140 post-harvest facilities built from 2023 to 2025 will anchor a hub-and-spoke system to cut losses and stabilize prices. Additional facilities will be funded under the extended Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
The plan also includes new deep-water agri-ports in Mindoro and Zamboanga del Norte, plus upgrades to a port in Albay. Tiu Laurel said P2.4 billion has been earmarked for port projects, with nearly a dozen agri-ports in the pipeline to slash logistics costs and boost inter-island trade.
Tiu Laurel said agricultural policy is shifting away from an overly rice-centric approach. While rice remains a priority, the focus is broadening to sugar, coconut, corn, high-value crops, logistics and digitalization.
A new agriculture command center is set to go live by January, alongside efforts to revive the National Food Authority and Food Terminal Inc.
