Agriculture

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has stood firm on the necessity of canceling the import permit for 12,480 metric tons of Vietnamese rice, framing the decisive action as a key component of the administration's broader policy to protect local farmers, curb unnecessary importation, and enforce strict agricultural regulatory standards.

Malacañang has deferred signing an executive order on the minimum access volume (MAV) for corn imports, citing concerns that its implementation could undermine local farmers’ earnings during the ongoing harvest season.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is stepping up measures to assist local pork producers, who continue to face depressed farmgate prices due to rising imports. Speaking at the Tuesday Club Breakfast Forum in Mandaluyong City, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. assured stakeholders the agency is exploring every legal option to ease market pressure on domestic hog raisers.

Industry groups are calling on the government to review a proposal to sharply raise excise taxes on sweetened beverages under the ProGRESS Bill, warning it would hurt local sugar farmers, businesses and consumers while raising questions over its real benefits.

The National Dairy Authority (NDA) has received 1,419 pregnant dairy cattle from Australia — its first such import in nearly three years — to grow the country’s dairy herd and raise domestic milk production.