The Philippine Agriculture-Fisher-Forestry (AFF) sector has registered an eight-year high growth of 3.1 percent in 2025. The figure is the highest since 1917 when the sector posted 4.2% growth.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the recorded 2025 performance highlights the continuous support from government in local production and value chain.
“The 2025 performance of agriculture is both encouraging and instructive — it tells us what is working and where we need to sharpen our approach,” Tiu Laurel said.
The DA Secretary shared that palay production grew by 3.5%; corn, 3.4%; sugar, 56% last year, citing figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority. He said coffee and cacao production also registered positive growth.
The DA Secretary stressed the importance of appropriate investments to sustain similar gains, despite extreme weather, animal diseases and plant pests. He said these challenges have caused “weak growth” or “outright contractions” in the AFF performance in previous years.
“We are using these lessons to fine-tune our programs and accelerate investments in smarter, climate-resilient, and more productive agriculture,” he said.
Tiu Laurel shared that for this year, DA has secured funds to boost the construction of farm-to-market roads, cold storage facilities, drying systems, financial support to farmers and fishers, and management and control of both avian influenza and African swine fever.
