Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco "Kiko" Tiu Laurel Jr. on Thursday said his agency will focus more on local production rather than letting smugglers and price manipulators profit from importation.

Laurel said this was also the marching order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. after appointing him to head the department.

Banking on his experience, the new DA secretary can help Filipino farmers and fishermen improve not only their skills but also their productivity by sharing his expertise in the value chain.

Agriculture experts also see Laurel could bring a fresh perspective to resolving food security, exports, and agricultural challenges, owing to his profound understanding of the fisheries sector and food processing.

He said the DA should move for what the farmers and fisherfolks need with plans to modernize and mechanize them to see a brighter future.

"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," Laurel said.

He added that the programs, already started by President Marcos, will also be continued like giving farmers free fertilizers, seeds, and technical and financial support.

This will go along with the President's order to see if other programs can be patterned to his late father's Ferdinand Marcos Sr. initiatives in boosting food production and the agri-fishery sector.

Laurel said it will start this 2023 with the approval of a P4.73 billion allocation as an investment of the department's modernization and machination for the agriculture and fishery sectors.

The new DA secretary added that Marcos has also instructed him to strengthen the farmers and fisherfolks' associations and cooperatives which the President believed will be a much more direct link to government assistance programs for the agriculture sector.