The Philippines will make agriculture a creator of higher-paying jobs, competitive products and a
viable investment alternatives.

This was the gist of the Philippine country statement delivered by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P.
Tiu Laurel, Jr. during a regional gathering of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO).

The agri chief elaborated on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision for a modernized agriculture
sector during the High-Level Ministerial Session of the 37th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and
the Pacific in Colombo, Sri Lanka on February 20, 2024.

The APRC is the highest regional governing body of FAO and provides guidance to the UN
organization. The Philippines has been a member of the FAO since it was established in 1945.

To modernize the agriculture sector, Sec. Tiu Laurel said the DA plans to increase investments in
science-based technologies and innovations; develop a blue economy to protect, leverage and
optimize the country’s coastal and marine resources, and enhance the country’s capacity to collect,
use and analyze agricultural data that would foster food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable
development.

“We need to urgently improve productivity, resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability of our agri-food
systems to make our farmers and fisherfolk more prosperous and our people more food secure,”
Sec. Tiu Laurel said.

The Philippines’ agriculture secretary also sought greater regional cooperation in addressing the
impact of climate change on our agri-food systems; adopting a “One Health” approach agains

threats to human, animal, plant, and environmental health and the associated food security and
nutrition risks; ensuring open, predictable, and fair trade of agri-food inputs and products; and
empowering family farmers, women, and youth as change agents in the transition to sustainable and
resilient agriculture.

“The Philippines recognizes that achieving sustainable food and nutrition security requires a wholeof-society approach with government utilizing multi-sectoral and multi-level platforms. We stand
ready to do our part and work with all stakeholders,” Sec. Tiu Laurel said.

The FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific is a forum held every two years where highlevel officials, mainly Ministers of Agriculture from FAO member states in the region, gather to
discuss challenges related to food and agriculture, with the goal of promoting regional coherence.
### (photo courtesy of @FAOPhilippines)