MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Magandang umaga, Malacañang Press Corps, and welcome sa ating press briefing ngayong araw, January 16.

In the sectoral meeting led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the agriculture department presented its three-year plan – “Para sa Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas”. The three-year plan will focus on expanding agri-fishery areas for increased production, modernizing agri and fishery production system and developing and improving post-harvest systems and infrastructure among others.

To tell us more about this, we have with us Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. Good morning, Secretary Laurel.

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Good morning, Daphne.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Go ahead with the briefing about the three-year plan.

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Well, basically, our three-year plan is to invest heavily in post-harvest facilities and to have more recovery for our products and hopefully to lower the cost, partly to lower the cost of rice and corn. Besides that, we have big digitalization moves in order to get more accurate production data for our production. As you know, we need real production data in order to be able to manage the food supply of the country effectively. Besides that, we have a lot of infrastructures to be built ‘no like ports, agri-industrial ports, cold storage facilities to address the vegetable issues that come from time to time from over production.

We also have a very big move on the logistics ‘no – 30% of our produce especially of vegetables is gone because of wastage ‘no, because of the poor logistics system in our food supply chain. If we can lessen, or hopefully almost eliminate iyong losses na iyon, that will be equivalent to at least 10 to 15 percent less cost sa ating mga vegetables and high-value crops like fruits.

Besides that, we intend to reorganize DA nga din to be more less regulatory but still effective supposedly in regulations on food safety but more developmental ‘no. We have to produce more. We have to produce more of everything to address the needs of our ever-increasing population. So, that’s basically in a nutshell.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: In a nutshell, okay. We can now open the floor to questions to Secretary Laurel. Chona Yu, People’s Journal.

CHONA YU/PEOPLE’S JOURNAL: Sir, iyong 30% na sabi mo kaninang wastage, how are you going to translate that into, siguro metric tons? Ilan po ba iyon?

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Well, iyong study on the statistics, iyon ang problema ko talaga from the start. As I have already said in my first-ever presscon in my life, wala tayong accurate data eh to quantify the total kung ilan ba talaga. But I got the 30% actually from my own experience in the business sector having run a cold chain logistics company before. And actually last Friday, I went to FTI and met an actual farmer ‘no, that brought his product from Benguet to Manila, in FTI, and I asked him personally just to validate my… what I already knew from my private experience ‘no. And I was surprised enough to say na sinabi niya is the same thing that was on my mind na tinanong ko, “Ilan ba, boss, iyong nawawala na produce mo sa isang tonelada, pagdating ng Manila ilan iyong natatapon?” Sabi niya, mga trenta porsiyento.

CHONA YU/PEOPLE’S JOURNAL: Sir, what is the government doing, sir? The other day may mga farmers na namimigay na lamang ng mga vegetables nila kasi nga oversupply po.

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: That’s the main reason why I went to the FTI last Friday to see what available land available sa FTI. And to address that situation, we will be building a 5,000 pallet-position cold storage for high-value crops and vegetables, basic doon is vegetables to serve only the cooperatives and the farmers in our country para nga ma-address iyan. Kasi ang oversupply situation, while actually, to be honest, that is a matter na dapat ina-address din ng LGU ‘no because na-devolve na nga ang mga agricultural workers to the LGUs so dapat sila nagpa-planning niyan, ng production and ano.

But, of course, the national government like the DA should coordinate and plan with them to address this. But, that’s a work-in-progress that we will do; but in order to have a quick solution to this problem, hopefully after 13 or 14 months, latest is June next year, nandiyan na iyong facility to address that.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Eden Santos, NET25.

EDEN SANTOS/NET25: Secretary, napanood ninyo po ba iyong mga sibuyas sa Nueva Ecija na napeste po? Iyong mga ganoong sitwasyon po, papaano makakatulong ang DA lalo na po iyong ating mga cold storage ano po at papaano ba mapipigilan iyong pamemeste po sa ating mga pananim especially iyong sibuyas?

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Doon sa nangyari sa Nueva Ecija na iyon ay actually pinag-aaralan ko pang mabuti kung paano ma-address iyon. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer today but I’m looking into it and hopefully within the next two weeks, mayroon nang position ang DA on protocols to be set on how to address it.

EDEN SANTOS/NET25: So, papaano natin matutulungan po iyong mga magsasaka na naapektuhan po noong peste?

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Maybe we can give them additional seeds to replant, and maybe some pesticides along with it and some other support, ma’am.

EDEN SANTOS/NET25: How it will affect po iyong ating supply sa nangyari na iyon, local supply po natin ng sibuyas…

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Definitely, it will have some effect because it will reduce production. Pero base sa initial study naman ng DA operations na group natin, minimal lang… minimal.

EDEN SANTOS/NET25: So, wala pong pagtaas ng presyo ng sibuyas in the coming days, months?

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Wala akong nakikita.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Thank you. Tuesday Niu—okay, let’s pass it to Sam Medenilla, Business Mirror.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Hi. Good morning, sir. Itatanong lang po namin, how much budget is needed for the three-year plan and how optimistic are we that the fund would be given to DA given that there’s already an upward trend in its budget in recent years under the Marcos administration?

DA SEC. LAUREL JR.: Well, sa post-harvest facility alone, we need 93 billion ‘no in the next three years in order to save 10.7 billion a year ‘no on wasted rice and corn ‘no, because we’re losing about 12.7 to 15 percent eh of our rice production due to lack of post-harvest facility. So sa rice and corn pa lang na post-harvest, 93 billion na eh. Sa cold storage, my budget this year is only one billion so ipo-focus ko lahat iyon sa apat na cold storage to address that vegetable issue; but that can only cover part of Luzon eh. So, if we try to solve the problem as soon as possible, assuming 2025… I need additional five billion ‘no to address the vegetable cold storage issue of the whole nation.

How to get the money? I’m still new at the government so I’m still trying to figure that out also.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Secretary, maybe we can go back to the post-harvest facility. At the meeting today, it was mentioned that there had not been any investment post-harvest facilities in 40 years?

DA SEC. LAUREL: No major post-harvest facility was funded by the government in the last 40 years; puro maliliit, patingi-tingi which is actually irrelevant or useless, sayang. So, that’s why we need really to fund these projects but we cannot build small, we have to build bigger – I mean, we have three designs; we have small, medium and large – hindi mini ‘no.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Sir, i-clarify ko lang po, iyong sa rice and corn wasted po 10.7 billion kilograms po ba iyon?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Hindi, peso value iyon. In terms of—I don’t have the exact figures with me now but it’s about 450,000 tons around a year – so, that is about—sa rice alone that’s 23 days of rice ang mari-recover natin for the whole nation. Parang we will have 23 days more of rice if we do this. Last year we imported about 3.5 million tons of rice, that’s 10 percent of—mababawasan ng 10 percent ang importation natin if we do this, yearly iyon.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Tuesday Niu.

TUESDAY NIU/DZBB: Hi, sir. Sir, base sa mga observations, taun-taon na lang po nagkakaroon tayo ng over issue on oversupplies ng mga vegetables and fruits – mayroon na po ba kayong kongkretong plano para ma-address po ito at least para iyong mga oversupply ng repolyo ay magamit siya sa mga preserved products, na tutulungan iyong mga farmers na magawa iyon?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Ang immediate solution diyan actually is what I have mentioned a while ago is cold storage for them to extend the shelf life ‘no. We can also process that into something else but that has to be determined. But extension of shelf life alone will actually solve most of the problem, but there’s so many ways to preserve it ‘no using nitrogen, using cold room with nitrogen and many other ways.

Kasi ang over production is also a result of poor planning eh. So planning on you know, when to plant, when to harvest and coordinating with the market – it’s a whole ecosystem na kailangan nating i-refine with the DA of course and the LGU and the cooperatives and the farmers.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Racquel Bayan, Radyo Pilipinas.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Sir, good morning po. Sa sectoral meeting po kanina with PBBM, may bagong directive po ba iyong Pangulo natin on how to palakasin po iyong production and iyong pagpapatatag pa po ng agri supply ngayong 2024 may El Niño pa rin po?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Iyong sa El Niño matter, it was actually—the President has met with the Cabinet two times last December to try to address nga the El Niño issue ‘no and to have advance planning kung anong mga dapat gawin.

Ang interventions natin na gagawin sa DA based on the meetings last December is to create more water impounding areas and facilities as soon as possible. And another way that we can help mitigate kahit kaunti is iyong solar power irrigation na we will be installing in certain areas as soon as possible,

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Sir, do we have latest data po kung magkano na po iyong pinsala sa agri products dahil sa El Niño po?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Wala pa, unfortunately.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Cresilyn Catarong, SMNI.

CRESILYN CATARONG/SMNI: Good morning, sir. May tulong po bang ipagkakaloob ang gobyerno doon sa vegetable farmers na nalugi po para man lang maibalik iyong kanilang puhunan, sir?

DA SEC. LAUREL: As of now wala, dahil technically there’s no fund to help them. But what I have discussed with FTI just the other day and including Kadiwa is kapag matayo na natin iyong storage and mayroon na tayong storage at mayroon na tayong pagtataguan niyan, kung mayroon man incidents na ganiyan it’s either itago noong farmer iyong excess production nila sa storage and that’s subsidized by the government – that’s to be arranged, or the government buys those excess products at a certain price to be distributed through Kadiwa and everything. But immediate solution for that, wala.

CRESILYN CATARONG/ SMNI: Sir, other question po. Nagbabala po ang isang grupo na maaaring tataas pa ang hunger incidence sa bansa dahil [sa] walang humpay na taas ng presyo ng bigas po, ano po ang tugon ng DA dito?

DA SEC. LAUREL: As far as supply is concerned, we have enough supply of rice – December, medyo healthy ang ating stocks; January, is healthy, there’s additional rice coming ‘no. But as far as the price is concerned, mahirap ma-predict; ang problema, iyong world price is tumataas eh ‘no dahil sa El Niño. Ang prices din ng bigas sa Thailand which is a major-rice producing country and Vietnam ay tumataas din as of the moment eh, so even Malaysia and Indonesia tumataas din. So, we have to really manage the situation and we are looking at it on a day-to-day basis.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Gerg Cahiles, CNN Philippines.

GERG CAHILES/CNN PHILIPPINES: Secretary, magandang umaga po. Sir, it was mentioned earlier that in the past 40 years there was no investment sa post-harvest facilities. What does that say, sir?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Well, let’s not say no investment – parang minimal investment ‘di ba, I cannot naman say wala talaga pero insignificant iyong effect ng investment in the past administrations.

Well, I’m not privy to the direction of the past administrations, ang sa akin lang ‘no, I just can say na sayang iyong opportunity – iyon lang.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Jean Mangaluz, Inquirer.net.

JEAN MANGALUZ/INQUIRER.NET: Good morning. The President was quite keen on chasing smugglers when he was still the DA Chief. Is the DA still going after these cartels, have there been cases filed?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Yes. Definitely, that was one of the marching orders [of] the President na linisin iyan at hulihin ang mga smugglers. And actually, noong November, two weeks after my assumption mayroon kaming nahuli na onion smuggler na hanggang ngayon ay nakakulong. Then we have seized about one billion worth of sugar in warehouses somewhere in Bulacan – sorry, I cannot exactly say where it is – until now it is still an ongoing case.

JEAN MANGALUZ/ INQUIRER.NET: Another question. The President said that 51 percent of farm-to-market-roads have been built. Can you provide further details, where are they and how to they translate to lowering the prices of goods?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Well if we build the right farm-to-market-roads, it should lower prices of basic food. Since, alam mo marami pang area talaga na mas mahal pa iyong pagbaba ng gulay mula sa bundok papunta sa market kaysa doon sa presyo ng produkto mismo eh. So, if we can put the right roads from the real farms to the markets, I think it should lower food prices by about—at least five percent.

JEAN MANGALUZ/ INQUIRER.NET: By when po iyong five percent na ito and may mga places po ba na..?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Ang problema dito ang farm-to-market-roads natin medyo marami pang kulang eh, then malaking pera. Just to give you an example ’no – sa irrigation alone eh we still have 1.2 million hectares of unirrigated land and it will cost the government 1.2 trillion in order to complete that ‘di ba, so we need a lot of investments talaga. But of course if we have 1.2 trillion more land na irrigated – you can imagine that I think we’ll be rice-sufficient na by that time as long as—if our population doesn’t increase ‘no, assuming.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Next question, Kyle Atienza, Business World.

KYLE ATIENZA/BUSINESS WORLD: Good morning, sir. Sir, in a recent report Moody’s Investors Service said that the tensions between the Philippines and China have more widespread effects on the Asia-Pacific Region. Sir, may nakita po ba tayong possible implication sa Philippine food security as well as agricultural trade po between China and the Philippines?

DA SEC. LAUREL: As of the moment, wala.

KYLE ATIENZA/BUSINESS WORLD: Follow-up lang, sir, the report also said that may implication, sir, iyong weakening external demands. Sir, may impact po ba ito sa mga exporters natin, food exporters? Weakening global demand, sir?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Well, ang food worldwide is still short eh. So, I don’t think it really has an impact as of the moment.

KENNETH PACIENTE/PTV 4: Sir, good morning. Sir, may we ask kung ano naman po iyong naging direktiba ni Pangulong Marcos pagdating naman po sa fishing, sir?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Well iyong kaninang meeting, nag-emphasize si Presidente na kailangan nating i-increase iyong aquaculture natin. Dahil at the end of the day, that is what will feed the fish needs of our people. Ang fisheries natin, we really just have to manage very well. Of course the President kanina, sabi niya, paano pa natin mapaparami iyang isda. Then, of course, we have to repair the habitats; we have to let the fishing grounds rest ‘no for a few years para dumami ulit iyong isda. Then, na-emphasize rin ni Mr. Presidente kanina na iyong seaweed industry natin ay kailangang palakasin din para magkaroon ng additional livelihood iyong mga fishermen, which we will be doing. So besides that, mayroon ding mga livestock programs na ipabigay sa ating mga fisherfolk as an additional income nila, livelihood.

But besides that, ang panghuling nabanggit is to make fishing communities a cooperatives and give them bigger boats so that they can fish more or be more productive, be more efficient,

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: We would like just to ask iyong regarding po doon sa rice, ano raw po iyon ending na rice stock natin nung production noong 2023 at saka ano po iyong target output for 2024?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Technically, if I am not mistaken, 20 million tons iyong ating production and 2024 should be almost the same due to El Niño.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Sir, last question na lang po. Iyong regarding po sa recently nakipag-meet si President Marcos with President Widodo, na-discuss po iyong regarding po doon sa Special Safeguard (SSG) duties for coffee. Mayroon po bang plan ang DA to review iyong request ng Indonesia para alisin na po iyong SSG?

DA SEC. LAUREL: We are reviewing that po.

IVAN MAYRINA/GMA 7: Hi, Sec. Nabanggit po ninyo kanina iyong dalawang interventions natin, iyong post-harvest facilities at iyong pagmi-minimize sa wastage na ‘ika ninyo ay partly mapapababa iyong presyo. By how much do you project na mapapababa ang presyo ng bigas if these interventions are put into place?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Well, of course, sa bigas it depends also on the world market ano. But in assuming everything is stable and wala masyadong calamities or all of that, hopefully, mga at least 5% din.

IVAN MAYRINA/GMA 7: In a perfect world, ‘ika nga po nila, would the P20 per kilo of rice still be a goal for the department?

DA SEC. LAUREL: As I mentioned before, it’s an aspiration. It’s a target.

IVAN MAYRINA/GMA 7: Still, given the current realities?

DA SEC. LAUREL: We will try our best. Mas maganda, sir, may goal para everybody tries to achieve it as hard as possible.

IVAN MAYRINA/GMA 7: Balikan ko lang po iyong tanong doon sa ayuda sa mga naluging vegetable farmers. Nabanggit po ninyo, walang maibibigay because technically walang pondo, tama po ba iyon?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Yes.

IVAN MAYRINA/GMA 7: And the department is not keen on looking for the budget para matulungan sila?

DA SEC. LAUREL: As much as possible, we are trying to find ways na matulungan sila, of course ‘no. I think that is the job of the government. But as of the moment, our team at the DA is trying to figure out what we can give them, and as far as cash ayuda is concerned, I am actually not a believer in that eh. I’d rather give farm implements, like seeds, fertilizer, or something else. Pero definitely, we will try our best na makatulong tayo, kasi iyon ang mandato natin.

KATRINA DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: Good morning, sir. Sir, last year on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, I think, the Philippines and Vietnam signed a five-year rice agreement with Vietnam. May we get the status of that agreement and does the President expect it to sign that cooperation deal once he travels to Vietnam later this year?

DA SEC. LAUREL: From what I understand, there was no real agreement in that Indonesian meeting. There was no agreement signed but there was an agreement to draft an MOA or MOU. And we were given instructions when we were in the ASEAN meeting in Japan by the President to draft, finalized the MOA with Vietnam so that pagdating ng trip this coming end of January, in a state visit to Vietnam, mapirmahan na. And we have the working draft na, almost done na.

KATRINA DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: Sir, can you give us a few salient points of that agreement?

DA SEC. LAUREL: It basically guarantees us that they will be continuously supplying us rice, even sa calamity situation. So that is part of our food safety. So that is good for us.

KATRINA DOMINGO/ABS-CBN: Sir, last question from my end. Ano po iyong status ng durian deal with China signed or at least okayed in 2023 during President Marcos state visit to China? Natuloy na po ba iyon or nadagdagan or nabawasan po, given the diplomatic relations that we have now?

DA SEC. LAUREL: AS of the moment, I am happy to say that we have been shipping out durian to China and it’s—tuluy-tuloy naman. It looks promising.

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: Secretary, malapit na pong matapos iyong close fishing season sa galunggong this coming January 31, 2024, are we expecting na bababa po iyong presyo ng galunggong na P240 iyong pinakamataas na presyo, if in case po na muling makapangisda iyong ating mga fisherman?

DA SEC. LAUREL: The answer there is yes. But in March, ang talagang season ng Pilipinas sa galunggong catching is March, April, May June. Iyong lifting ng end of ano by February, mahina pa iyong huli niyan but by March, I expect bababa ang presyo.

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: So, how much po iyong puwedeng ibaba ng presyo ng galunggong?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Kung P200 ngayon, baka maging P150, P130.

KRIZEL INSIGNE/IBC 13: Iyong kanina po nabanggit ninyo na magkakaroon ng four storage facilities po dito sa Luzon, saan po iyon at saka sa 2025 po, saan pa po ninyo balak magtayo pa ng storage facilities?

DA SEC. LAUREL: Iyong sa Luzon, the first—FTI was the one I mentioned na iyon iyong uunahin natin kasi iyon ang pinaka-critical dito sa Taguig. Then we plan to put one kung sana nagko-converge iyong CAR region saka iyong Benguet at saka iyong mga nagsu-supply doon, so maybe in La Union or in Benguet, somewhere there. The other one is in Mindoro dahil wala roon. Then one is in Sariaya, Quezon. Iyong sa 2025, sa Visayas and Mindanao na iyon, to be determined.

KRIZEL INSIGNE/IBC 13: Nabanggit din po sa usapan po with FTI na iyong ibang oversupply na agricultural products is idi-distribute po nila sa Kadiwa. So, if may cold storage facilities na po, mostly refrigerated or chilled na po, paano ibibigay iyon sa Kadiwa stores lalo na kung humid po, kapag ibinenta na po eh, iyong mostly mga highly perishable goods, nasisira na po siya within two hours po, nagiging saggy na po.

DA SEC. LAUREL: Well, once that is done, actually iyong mga Kadiwa bibilhan din ng mga refrigerating chiller units din, parang mga refrigerators, mga chest freezers, chest refrigerators. We have to have the complete cold chain eh, we cannot break that.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay, thank you very much, I think, this ends our press briefing. Thank you so much Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, thank you for sharing the Para sa Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas Plan. Maraming salamat, Malacañang Press Corps, have a good afternoon. Thank you.

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