Agriculture
DA chief urges Senate to back agri reforms, investment push
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. called on senators Wednesday to support major reforms and increased funding for the agriculture sector, citing decades of neglect that have left Filipino farmers struggling and the country heavily reliant on food imports.
DA pushes for more rice processing systems
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking to accelerate the development of additional rice processing systems (RPS) nationwide to improve post-harvest efficiency and support the National Food Authority (NFA), whose milling and drying capacity has declined following the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).
MSRP on imported rice to stay despite import ban
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will maintain the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of P43 per kilo for imported rice during the two-month rice import suspension set for September and October.
Regular milled rice price ease in early August—PSA data
The average price of regular milled rice fell 20 percent year-on-year to P40.66 per kilo in the first half of August, potentially easing overall inflation if the downtrend holds through month-end.
Palay prices begin to rise ahead of Marcos import ban
Farm gate prices of palay have begun to rise in nearly half of the country’s key rice-producing regions, just a week after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a two-month suspension of rice imports starting September 1.
