DA faces balancing act challenges

Three years into the Marcos Jr. administration, the agriculture sector remains caught in a balancing act, as efforts to lower food prices for consumers have often come at the expense of farmers, whose livelihoods continue to be strained by policy shifts and market disruptions.

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When President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022, many in the agriculture sector expressed optimism that the long-neglected sector would finally receive much-needed attention to address its persistent problems.

But who would blame them, since the chief executive himself assumed the position of Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), determined to fulfill the promises he made during the campaign trail.

Just over a year into this rare dual role, Marcos passed the baton to fishing magnate Francisco Tiu Laurel, who now heads the Department and is tasked with carrying on the President's goal of lowering the retail prices of food.

After a 2024 marked by adverse weather conditions and the spread of animal diseases, Tiu Laurel entered 2025 with a commitment to perform and do better.

Keeping rice within reach

In a country that ranks among the world's top consumers of rice, doing better means lowering the price of the household staple.

In January 2025, the DA implemented a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) on imported rice, which was initially set at P58 per kilo, then later adjusted to the current P43 per kilo in a bid to curb the soaring prices of the commodity.

This was followed by the declaration of a food security emergency on rice the following month, which granted the National Food Authority (NFA) the power to release buffer stocks, which were then sold by local government units (LGUS) and government agencies for as low as P33 per kilo.

But as prices remained stubbornly high, the DA made its most ambitious effort yet by attempting to fulfill Marcos' most popular campaign promise: bringing the price of rice to as low as P20 per kilo, albeit with extra steps involved.