Quezon City: Filipino farmers and fishers must experience 'quick wins' from the intensified efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Monday. In a statement, Tiu Laurel urged DA personnel to deliver 'swift and tangible' results to all their industry stakeholders in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive.

According to Philippines News Agency, Tiu Laurel emphasized the need for urgency, stating that farmers and fisherfolk have waited long enough for improvements. He was one of the officials retained by the President in the ongoing recalibration of his administration. Tiu Laurel challenged DA personnel to perform their functions with urgency and integrity for the remaining years of Marcos' term, asking them to join him in improving the lives of farmers and fishers.

Tiu Laurel underscored the importance of doubling efforts with urgency and compassion, highlighting that with only a few years left in the current administration, it is time to prove that hope can be transformed into reality. He reiterated that the President's directive includes ensuring food security, affordability, and accessibility, while boosting local production and curbing agricultural smuggling.

The DA cited stable prices of onions, sugar, and retail rice as achievements. For rice, the decline in prices is attributed to government interventions like setting maximum suggested retail prices (MSRP) on imported rice, launching the PHP20 per kg. rice program, and declaring a food security emergency. As of June 5, prices of imported and local rice varieties have shown a downward trend in Metro Manila.

To further reduce rice prices, the DA plans to lower the MSRP for 5 percent broken imported rice to PHP43/kg. from PHP45/kg. on July 1. Tiu Laurel also noted that mechanization is at an all-time high, with the DA projecting local palay production to reach 20.4 million metric tons by 2025.

Progress in agricultural infrastructures, such as the establishment of rice processing centers, aims to reduce post-harvest losses. Since the start of the Marcos administration, 150 rice processing centers have been established nationwide, with plans to build additional centers in the coming years.