The Ilocos Times

VALUE-ADDING. Judy Viernes shows his pickled garlic at the Garlic Incubation Center in Laoag City , Ilocos Norte on Wednesday (July 22, 2026). He is among the first garlic incubatees being assisted by the Taiwan Te chnical Mission in the Philippines to help revitalize the local garlic industry . (Lei Adriano) By Leilanie Adriano LAOAG CITY—Garlic growers and processors benefit from a microfinancing program supported by Taiwan, providing farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs with greater access to capital to improve productivity, expand operations and enhance the competitiveness of the local garlic industry. Eric Pin Yu Chen , representative for the Taiwan Technical Mission in the Philippines, told the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday that at least 10 garlic incubatees have been selected so far this year for the grant. "Each incubatee received PHP240,000. The amount can be used to start their business or to improve it,” he said in an interview at the Garlic Incubation ...

Laoag City —For the first time, the city of Laoag has emerged as a national winner in the 51st Gawad Saka Parangal sa Natatanging Magsasaka at Mangingisda, earning recognition at the Department of Agriculture ’s annual search for outstanding contributors to the agriculture and fisheries sectors. Held June 29 at the Philippine International Convention Center, the Gawad Saka awards honor farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers, extension managers, local government units and other partners whose work has helped strengthen food security and rural development across the country. Laoag’s national victory marks a milestone for the city’s agri-fishery sector. City Agriculturist Sheila Marie Opelac said Laoag submitted six entries this year, three of which advanced to the national finals: Outstanding Corn Farmer Geoffrey Santiano Pascual , Outstanding Agricultural Extension Manager Sheila Marie N. Opelac , and Outstanding Local Government Unit, Laoag City. She said the city’s finalist...

I understand the urge to keep planting our traditional crops—especially those with deep roots in our history and culture. But what if demand is falling? What if the farmers who grow these crops are slipping deeper into poverty because the prices that they once relied on are no longer there? And what if the product itself is increasingly viewed as harmful to public health, with fewer acceptable uses each year? That, sadly, is the problem facing the tobacco industry. Is the market for cigarettes and cigars really shrinking? Government should be able to measure that with precision. A simple dashboard would do that: excise-tax–paid removals from BIR (a proxy for sales), PSA data on area planted and farmgate prices, NTA’s leaf procurement and farmer counts, DOH smoking prevalence, and DTI export/import figures for leaf and finished products. If those lines are trending down together, the signal is clear. If government confirms the problem, we need a two-track response. First, find new ...

Technically speaking, farm tourism is just a subset of eco-tourism . Eco-tourism is the big umbrella—it covers everything from marine sanctuaries to mountain trails, from mangrove parks to wildlife reserves. But lately, I’ve noticed something interesting: here in the Philippines , farm tourism could become bigger than eco-tourism, at least in the domestic market. Why? Because while eco-tourism may have more to offer to foreign tourists—especially those who want untouched beaches or rare bird sightings—farm tourism has far more to offer to local tourists. And I don’t just mean sightseeing. Local visitors go to farms not only to look, but also to learn, taste, and take home something fresh. In fact, many farms have evolved into Learning Sites for Agriculture (LSAs), where visitors can get hands-on experience in farming before they decide to go into the business themselves. These LSAs are under the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Department of Agriculture . Some even off...

Retired  educator Dra. Celeste N. Querijero now devotes her time to cultivating mushrooms and managing her farm in Misamis Oriental, which has become a model of sustainable and inclusive farming. OPOL, Misamis Oriental—After dedicating 44 years to shaping minds as an agriculture professor at the Mindanao State University (MSU), Dra. Celeste N. Querijero was offered a prestigious international consultancy post—a tempting opportunity that recognized her expertise and decades of experience. But she chose to stay closer to home to empower small farmers in the community by sharing her knowledge of sustainable farming that defined her teaching career. "Even before I retired, I already had a deep passion for agriculture,” she shared. “As MSU’s coordinator for extension services, I saw firsthand the pressing needs of our farmers. They wanted knowledge, access, and a stable livelihood. So after retirement, I volunteered myself to serve. It’s my way of giving back after all the blessi...

Laoag  mayor Michael Keon along with several members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod headed by Laoag vice mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas lead the distribution of the PHP12 million worth of agricultural inputs to all the 1,500 combined farmers and fisher folks associations in the city. (Doms Dela Cruz ) By Dominic B. dela Cruz,  Staff Reporter Laoag City —The city government here, by mayor Michael M. Keon, distributed   PHP12 million worth of agricultural inputs to farmers and fishermen in the city. According to Keon, he said he considers the agricultural sector as the most important sector in the city considering that it “provides food on the table”. This is the reason, he said he strongly supports the agricultural sector to ensure the constant food supply here in the city. The mayor believes that food will be one of the main issues in the future and he wanted Laoag to be a self-sufficient and the people to buy local and not imported food products. The mayor cong...

What are the current problems of agriculture in the Philippines? The Philippines has become a rice exporter since 1976, but the poor consumers who buy rice have not been benefited. The price of rice has not stopped increasing, because the prices of fertilizers and other farm inputs which are made by multinationals keep on increasing. Even the Filipino farmers are still poor. Thus, it has been claimed by expert observers that only the multinational corporations and their representatives in the Philippines reap the benefits. What are other factors that contribute to our agricultural problems: corruption, smuggling, mismanagement, inflation, 5 calamity. So, what possible recommendations or suggestions can we provide to correct these problems or at least improve our agricultural sector. The issues mentioned regarding agriculture in the Philippines are indeed significant and multifaceted. Here are some additional factors that contribute to the agricultural problems in the country: ...

AFTER  25 years in service, retired policeman Ritchie Tenegra ventured into poultry farming, and through LANDBANK’s support, now contributes to enhancing food security for the local community. LEON, Iloilo—From his sworn oath to ‘serve and protect’ the community for 25 years as a dedicated police officer, Ritchie Tenegra shifted his focus towards an equally meaningful purpose: food security. He has since embraced retirement by pursuing his other passion of poultry farming, and is now one of the reliable food suppliers in this town. At a young age, Ritchie saw the potential of animal farming through his parents who owned a piggery. He later followed their footsteps and established his own small piggery in his backyard in 2010 as an additional source of income to support his family. While still in the police force, he had limited capital to start his piggery operations. So Ritchie applied to be a beneficiary of the Swine Dispersal Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), ...