The Department of Agriculture (DA) has vowed to advance more support and better livelihood for Filipino farmers and fishers in 2026 in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directives to ensure food security, affordability, and accessibility.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said additional mechanisms are in place and will be implemented starting next year.

“I just like to greet everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” he said in a year-end interview Tuesday, expressing optimism for the sector in the year ahead.

“Asahan ho ninyo na (You can expect that) next year should be a bit better for everybody now na mas naka-set up na kami rito sa (that we are all set at) DA to address all the possible situations and scenarios.”

Tiu Laurel said the chief executive seeks to ensure a decent income for the sector, thus, included in the initial plans to help boost farmers’ income next year are close monitoring and coordination with rice importers to prevent oversupply of imported rice, which poses risks to the farm-gate prices of local palay (unhusked rice).

Other efforts are continuous palay buying of the National Food Authority (NFA) from local farmers for the national rice buffer stock and to support the massive and accelerated PHP20 per kilogram rice sale under the Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na next year, operationalization of DA’s command center, expansion of Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP), and the construction or launching of farm-to-market roads (FMRs), food hubs, cold storage, rice processing facilities, and deep water ports, among others.

“Ang tanging hangad ng ating pangulo at ng DA ay maayos ang ating kabuhayan at kumita kayo ng maayos (Our president and the DA just want to ensure a stable livelihood and for you to earn decently),” Tiu Laurel said. (PNA)