Farmers seen as key beneficiaries of ASEAN Food Security and Agribusiness Summit 2026 Initiatives

MANILA – As the Philippines braces for the potential impacts of a super El Niño, Filipino farmers remain among the most vulnerable to changing weather conditions threatening agricultural productivity, particularly rice production, vegetable cultivation, and other farming activities.

These concerns took center stage at the ASEAN Food Security and Agribusiness Summit 2026, where representatives from ASEAN member states and their partners convened to explore strategies for strengthening food security, advancing agribusiness, and addressing the challenges confronting the agricultural sector. 

With changing climate conditions posing risks to agricultural production, discussions highlighted the need to strengthen support for farmers, improve agricultural practices, and develop measures that would help mitigate the effects of El Niño.

One of the interventions by the Department of Agriculture is the use of a modular water-pumping system that draws water from nearby rivers and delivers it to farmers’ fields.

“My niroroll-out sila na mga solar powered irrigation na project all around the country na mabilis na madedeploy. So, that’s very critical. Another is to recognize which area yung tatamaan ng El Niño,” said James Amparo, Senior Adviser, ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) Philippines. 

Meanwhile, the growing global popularity of ube, or purple yam, and the resulting increase in demand have also emerged as important topics for discussion.

“What we severely lack is planting material because of the surge of demand. So, the government is now putting about ₱300 million next year to produce planting material and hopefully kung anong existing quantity of our planting, we plan to increase that by five folds, five times,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

The rising interest in ube presents opportunities to expand local production. 

Through stronger partnerships among ASEAN member states and stakeholders, the summit seeks to contribute to a more resilient and competitive agriculture sector.

“For a long time, we have talked about how much broken supply chains and high energy cost remind us that everyday, that food security is not just about farming, it is about safety and our basic human dignity,” said Jose Maria Concepcion III, Chairman of the ASEAN BAC.

The importance of collaboration among the government, private sector, producers, and consumers was also discussed.

“This is in partnership and maximizing the strength of each sector. The private sector which is good in management, the government. We call it 5P’s public, private, producer, people, partnership,” said Amparo.

Each sector plays a distinct role in strengthening the agricultural value chain.

Government provides essential support through infrastructure development, policy formulation, and regulation. 

Private sector contributes expertise in marketing, business management.

Farmers, as primary producers, remain at the heart of agricultural production, while consumers influence market demand and the quality and affordability of agricultural products.

“Translating policies and frameworks to actual realities. This is when, business comes together. Cause it’s the business side and the operations side that makes it into reality. The delivery of the systems as well creating jobs gaining opportunities,” said Agriculture Under Secretary Asis Perez.

Several initiatives aimed at enhancing the agriculture sector were also highlighted during the discussions.

These include the development of agricultural ports, cold storage facilities, crop-drying facilities, and rice-processing facilities, as well as initiatives to support durian exports and fertilizer production.

These partnerships and investments can help address persistent challenges across the agricultural landscape.

The summit, underscores the importance of maximizing the strengths of every sector through “synergy in action.”