By Stephanie Sevillano

MANILA – In line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday launched major programs in Oriental Mindoro to support Filipino farmers and further enhance local production.

These include the launch of the PHP33.5-million Oriental Mindoro Trading and Consolidation Facility (OMTCF) and the Provincial Agriculture Center (PAC), alongside the expansion of the PHP20 per kilogram rice program under the Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na program.

“This is how you raise farmer incomes –not by telling them to plant more, but by making sure what they harvest actually reaches the market at the right price,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.

The 966.75-square-meter OMTCF, funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), will serve as a centralized hub for consolidation, trading, and distribution.

It has 18 trading stalls, storage areas, washing, sorting, weighing, and packing zones, and loading bays to minimize spoilage and ensure efficient movement from farmers to buyers.

The facility is also expected to prevent independent farmers and cooperatives from selling produce at low and unreasonable farmgate prices due to challenges in logistics.

The PAC, meanwhile, will provide agricultural incubation, toll processing, extended aggregation, and market linkage services in support of the functions of the OMTCF in terms of response to actual market demands.

The facility is developed under the Climate-Resilient and Inclusive Green Growth Program.

Tiu Laurel said these facilities will help slash post-production losses, raise the income of local food producers, and eventually achieve the government’s target of food security.

“When farmers earn more, rural economies move faster, food becomes more affordable, and food security becomes real,” he said.

BBM Na

The DA likewise expanded the BBM Na to cover more Filipino households in Oriental Mindoro.

DA Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said the province is well-positioned for the intensified expansion of the PHP20 rice program.

“With the main harvest season coming in March, our latest inventory shows sufficient palay stocks in NFA warehouses that can be released, allowing the NFA to continuously buy palay at a fair price from our farmers,” she said.

The DA expects the BBM Na program to benefit 70,000 households in Mindoro. (PNA)

Published Date: February 3, 2026