Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has urged Congress to accelerate the passage of long-pending measures and overhaul outdated institutions to revive a farm sector weighed down by years of sluggish performance.

In a press release on Thursday, Tiu Laurel said the Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking lawmakers’ support to strengthen the sector’s “structural backbone,” starting with antiquated laws that limit agency efficiency and slow decision-making.

Recent reforms include the Animal Industry and Competitiveness Act, approved to modernize livestock, poultry and aquaculture, and provide PHP20 billion annually for 10 years. Amendments to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) law are also nearing completion to streamline operations, enhance accountability and reduce red tape, while sidelined staff agencies will regain full line functions to accelerate project delivery.

The focus is now on updating commodity-specific laws, particularly for rice, corn and coconut, to strengthen value chains and raise farmer incomes.

Tiu Laurel highlighted the long-delayed unlocking of the Coco Levy Fund, warning that further delays risk missing high global coconut prices.

However, legislation alone will not fix the sector.

He stressed that extension workers must return to the field as the “front line” of agricultural reform, while cooperative development is being accelerated through new agri-coop programs with Sen. Francis Pangilinan’s proposal to expand farmers’ access to credit, markets and support services.

The agency is rolling out “Bagsakan ng Bayan” mega food hubs in Clark, Bukidnon, Quezon and other strategic areas.

Four mega cold storage facilities are slated for completion next year, along with about 60 modular cold storages nationwide, marking the DA’s first large-scale cold chain deployment.

More than 140 post-harvest facilities completed from 2023 to 2025 will support a hub-and-spoke system designed to reduce losses and stabilize prices, with more facilities to be financed under the extended Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

About PHP2.4 billion has been allocated in 2026 for port projects, with nearly a dozen more agri-ports in the pipeline to cut logistics costs and boost inter-island trade, especially from Mindanao.

Tiu Laurel said agricultural policy is shifting away from an overly rice-centered approach. While rice remains a priority, the focus is expanding to sugar, coconut, corn, high-value crops, logistics and digitalization.

Moreover, a new agriculture command center will go live this January, alongside efforts to modernize the National Food Authority and Food Terminal Inc. (PNA)