Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. described 2024 as a “perfect storm” of challenges that tested the agency’s resilience.
He said despite climate change, diseases and supply chain disruptions, the DA achieved significant gains in food production and price stability.
“I expect that we should perform much, much better next year,” said Tiu Laurel, adding that the DA should be ready “to tackle whatever comes its way without excuses.”
He highlighted the sector’s efforts that contributed to a 1.9-percent decline in inflation in September, on lower food prices, particularly rice.
This helped improve President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s trust rating, according to a recent survey.
The agriculture sector added 8.5 million tons of palay and 3.7 million tons of corn to its harvest in 2024, building upon the record rice harvest and job creation achieved in 2023.
Tiu Laurel said that for the first time in nine years, the National Food Authority (NFA) has sufficient palay supply.
While acknowledging challenges such as high costs, drought, floods and disruptions in the value chain, Tiu Laurel said the sector made substantial progress in livestock, poultry and crop production.
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