Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. of Department of Agriculture (DA) called for private sector support in building agri ports in the country’
“There’s a lack of ports in the country, that’s why the food cost in our country is very high and that’s why I’m asking the help of Makati Business Club (MBC) and other groups to lobby if possible, for private sector to build agri ports. If we have the right number of agri ports all over the country, the cost of rice, fertilizer and seeds will go down. We really need the ports,” Laurel said at the MBC’s first Agriculture and Food Security Summit — “Food is Everyone’s Business” media conference last Monday.
Laurel focused on the government’s vision to improve the agriculture sector and uplift the lives of Filipino farmers and fishermen. This includes enhancing crop yields through advanced technologies, improving food distribution to reduce waste, and supporting investments in post harvest infrastructure.
This vision, MBC said, aligns with the group’s goal of achieving food security by supporting partnerships between business and farmer cooperatives and lowering local produce costs.
“To build a sustainable food system, we must put smallholder farmers at the center of this transition. Their participation and inclusion are not just beneficial but essential to achieving long-term food security,” said Jollibee Foods Corp. Philippines president Joseph Tanbuntiong.
Tanbuntiong highlighted Jollibee’s framework in collaborating with cooperatives and farmers.
Manolito Tayag, MBC trustee and head of the Agriculture Committee, along with the heads of the working groups, has been setting the stage for the summit through a series of strategic meetings where key stakeholders from the private sector, cooperatives, and the DA collaborated to shape the summit’s agenda and objectives.
These preparatory discussions focused on pinpointing critical challenges, developing actionable strategies, and ensuring alignment among all parties.
“Producers of food do not benefit from high prices. Farmers compose the biggest group of workers, yet they remain among the poorest in the country,” said Tayag adding, “the business sector, learning from the success of our individual industries, should apply the same success factors to agriculture and food security,” Tayag said.
