DA eyes P1-B boost from agrifood investment forum

The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects to clinch some P1 billion in investment deals from the inaugural Philippine edition of the global agrifood investment forum scheduled next month.

The DA has partnered with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to hold the Hand-in-Hand National Investment Forum 2026.

The entities formalized this partnership through a ceremonial signing held on Monday.

The Philippines wants to entice global investors to venture into various projects across farming, fisheries and rural infrastructure.

For the first Philippine edition of this investment forum, the DA will promote cacao, coffee, seaweed and mango to the global market.

“We wish to grow these industries as soon as possible, so we need both local and foreign investors. We can see their potential in the international and local market, and we want to grab the opportunity to export more,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on the sidelines of the ceremonial signing.

Tiu Laurel said this investment event would allow the country to promote these agricultural commodities to over 80 markets, based on their participation in the FAO Global Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum in 2024 and 2025.

“We bring this platform to our own shores in an effort to bridge the gap between global capital and local stakeholders, and ensuring that our farmers and agripreneurs are at the heart of these investment conversations,” the agriculture chief added.

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Tiu Laurel said the FAO would provide marketing and technical support to the Philippines for staging the first agrifood investment forum, including the best practices for promoting agricultural commodities to the international community.

Andrew Jeffries, ADB’s country director for the Philippines, said their collaboration comes at a time when the country’s food system “stands at a critical juncture,” especially in light of global events in the last few weeks.

Jeffries said the Philippines was one of the world’s most climate-exposed economies, which could disrupt production and expose vulnerabilities across irrigation, logistics and postharvest systems.

“Addressing these challenges requires more than isolated interventions, calls for coherent policy direction, coordinated investments and deep engagement from both public and private sectors. This is precisely what the Hand-in-Hand Initiative is aiming to achieve,” he added.