The Philippines is deepening its strategic partnership with Japan in agriculture, trade, and food security following a high-impact ministerial visit by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who met with Japan’s new Agriculture Minister and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Senior Vice President Norikazu Suzuki from Jan. 26 to 29.
According to a Department of Agriculture (DA) news release on Wednesday, Tiu Laurel clinched a grant for a Rice Processing System (RPS) to be installed at the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse in Cauayan City, Isabela, with the grant agreement slated for signing within February—clearing the way for swift execution.
The facility is set for immediate rollout and is expected to sharply cut post-harvest losses, significantly improve the quality of locally produced rice, and reinforce the country’s national rice buffer stock.
The RPS will feature four 30-metric-ton grain dryers, a 10-ton-per-hour rice mill, and four 1,000-ton silos, dramatically boosting the country’s rice processing and storage capacity.
Beyond rice, Tiu Laurel aggressively pushed for JICA’s backing on several priority initiatives, including integrated Food Logistics Hubs, a nationwide basic commodity distribution study, modernization of small-scale fisheries, rehabilitation of the Magat Dam, and the expansion of the Market-Driven Vegetable Value Chain project.
On the trade front, Tiu Laurel pressed for expanded market access for Philippine agricultural exports, calling for the opening of Japan’s market to pomelos, faster approval for Japanese grape imports, and strengthened trade protocols for mangoes, papayas, and poultry from avian flu-free regions.
He also reiterated the Philippines’ demand for reduced Japanese tariffs on Philippine bananas, a move seen as critical as the country gears up for accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Japan responded positively, welcoming the DA’s proposal to include fisheries in the expansion of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) and confirming it will host the second PH-Japan Joint Committee on Agriculture meeting in June 2026, according to the DA.
The Philippines expressed strong optimism that the amended MOC will be finalized and signed this year, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Japan diplomatic normalization.
DA PHOTO