Agriculture
DA bets on more sili to cool price spikes
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. is zeroing in on one of the most volatile items in the Filipino kitchen: chilli pepper or sili. With prices swinging sharply during the rainy season, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing a plan to ramp up production, harden farms against extreme weather, and bring more predictability to supply and prices.
Fair palay price, road projects, P20 rice expansion seen as biggest test for 2026
Keeping palay prices fair, expanding P20-per-kilo rice and fast-tracking farm-to-market roads will be the toughest test of the Department of Agriculture heading into 2026, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
P20 rice expansion accelerates as gov’t commits P23B for 2026
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will expand its P20-per-kilo rice program, starting with a province-wide rollout in Pangasinan this January, as part of the government’s goal to reach 15 million households by the end of 2026.
MSRP on import rice stays at P43/kilo for now
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for 5 percent broken imported rice will remain at P43 per kilo for now, while the government completes the procedure for a higher import tariff.
DA probe shows Ilocos fertilizer controversy due to misuse
The Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that investigation conducted on reports in Region I of “insoluble and floating” fertilizer was caused by improper product application, not product defect, easing concern over the integrity of government-supplied inputs.
