News in brief: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. as the new agriculture minister to address food price rises, with Laurel having a background in the food industry.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. as the new agriculture minister. The president is relinquishing the post he held for over a year, a tenure that was marred by food price rise.
The new Philippine Secretary of Agriculture is a food industry captain and has served as president of deep-sea fishing company Frabelle Fishing Corp. for years.
In Marcos’ press briefing, he boasted that he had found somebody who understands the problems that the country’s agriculture is facing very well. He will likely sigh in relief as he had been under pressure to address the rising food prices, which hit a 14-year high in 2023. The price of rice, a staple food in the Philippines, has increased by over 20% in the past year.
Some of the president’s efforts to curb inflation and food scarcity have also made the situation worse for local farmers. For example, his attempt to solve onion scarcity by allowing more efforts drove down the prices of the home-grown vegetable, leading to farmers urging him to ban imports.
Laurel said that he will focus on increasing agricultural productivity and improving the supply chain, while pledging to support smallholder farmers.
His appointment is welcomed by some experts and stakeholders, a coverage of the story claims. They believe that his experience in the food industry will be helpful in addressing the challenges facing the Philippine agricultural sector. However, some critics have expressed concerns about his lack of experience in government.
