Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. led the formal inauguration of the Bureau of Plant Industry’s Tissue Culture Laboratory and Biological Control Agent (BioCon) facility at the Los Baños National Crop Research, Development, and Production Support Center.
Construction of the tissue culture facility and the upgrade of the biocon laboratory in line with the vision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a more modern and resilient agriculture sector and a food-secure Philippines.
The total cost of construction and repair for the facilities is P6 million. Secretary Tiu Laurel said the facilities’ inauguration underscored the critical role of science and technology in addressing the challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and environmental degradation.
“The Tissue Culture Laboratory will ensure a steady supply of high-quality, disease-free planting materials. This is especially crucial for the banana industry, which continues to face serious challenges due to Fusarium wilt,” the DA chief said in his speech during the event.
Beyond bananas, the facility will also propagate crops such as garlic, ginger, ube, and ornamentals—helping farmers access resilient and productive plantlets suited to local conditions. This initiative supports both commercial growers and smallholder farmers by providing clean, subsidized plantlets, while also conserving the country’s valuable plant genetic resources.
Complementing the tissue culture facility is the upgraded BioCon Facility, which is envisioned to mass-produce biological control agents like earwigs and beneficial fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana.
Together, the Tissue Culture Lab and BioCon Facility form a synergistic approach—healthy planting materials safeguarded by natural pest control.
This integrated strategy aims to boost crop yields, protect the environment, and improve farmers’ livelihoods, representing a bold step forward in the country’s agricultural innovation journey.
Tiu Laurel commended BPI director Gerard Glenn Panganiban and OIC Center chief Dr. Joel Adorada and their respective teams for shepherding these innovative agricultural projects.
