Newly appointed Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Monday said he will make do with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to increase production in almost all sectors of agriculture.

In his first meeting with the press at the DA headquarters, Laurel said the marching order of President Marcos is to "modernize agriculture so the country be food secure, less dependent on imports and lift millions of farmers and fisherfolks out of poverty," by the end of their term.

"By modernizing the agriculture sector, we could make it a more profitable venture and attract a younger generation that would ensure the country's food security in the decades to come," he said.

Aside from boosting food production and modernization, Laurel said the President told him to pay "special attention to alleged price manipulation and smuggling," to ensure stable supply and prices and to protect Filipino consumers.

To fight this, the new DA chief said he is bent on forming an Intelligence unit that will go after the smugglers and price manipulators and coordinate with relevant law enforcement agencies to arrest the culprits.

Rice price tag

The P20 per kilo of rice that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised during his campaign in 2022, according to the DA chief, is not possible at present. But he was hoping to get the rice price tag more affordable towards the end of 2024.

"But with the President's directive to modernize, irrigate, use the right seeds, mechanize, and all of that, we are getting ready to do our best, to try to make rice affordable for the people," he explained.

"It is possible to lower the price. But we have to have our silos, we have to have buffer stock, we have to change some laws, I believe," he said.