San Miguel Corporation (SMC), through its San Miguel Foundation (SMF), has expanded its community farming initiative Backyard Bukid to six sites nationwide, with plans to establish at least three new locations annually as part of a broader push to improve food access and support livelihoods in low-income communities.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday reported that agricultural losses due to the southwest monsoon (habagat) and tropical cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong have reached ₱454.12 million, based on the latest update from its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center.
The combined impact of Tropical Storm Crising and the southwest monsoon has dealt a heavy blow to the country’s agriculture sector, with damage now pegged at ₱323.15 million, a 48.6 percent increase from the previous day, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Local agricultural groups have expressed disappointment over the reported US decision to lower its import tariff on Philippine goods by only one percentage point—from 20 percent to 19 percent—as part of a trade deal granting zero-tariff access to American agricultural exports entering the Philippines.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has directed officer-in-charge undersecretary for operations Roger Navarro and Undersecretary Chris Morales, who oversees the country’s National Rice Program, to immediately visit areas devastated by Tropical Storm Crising and the Southwest Monsoon to provide urgent support to affected farmers and fisherfolk.