| Kagawaran ng Agrikultura | |
 Seal of the Department of Agriculture | |
.jpg) Flag of the Department of Agriculture | |
 | |
_-_Secretary%2527s_Office_(Elliptical_Road%2c_Diliman%2c_Quezon_City%3b_2015-01-04).jpg) Department of Agriculture building | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | June 23, 1898; 127 years ago (1898-06-23) |
| Headquarters | Elliptical Road, Vasra, Diliman,Quezon City 1100 14°39′12.56″N121°2′45.02″E / 14.6534889°N 121.0458389°E /14.6534889; 121.0458389 |
| Employees | 6,199 (2024)[1] |
| Annual budget |  ₱184.1 billion (2023)[2] |
| Department executive | |
| Website | www |
TheDepartment of Agriculture (DA;Filipino:Kagawaran ng Agrikultura) is theexecutive department of thePhilippine government responsible for the promotion of agricultural and fisheries development and growth.[4] It has its headquarters atElliptical Road corner Visayas Avenue, Diliman,Quezon City.
The department is currently led by thesecretary of agriculture, nominated by thepresident of the Philippines and confirmed by theCommission on Appointments. The secretary is a member of theCabinet. The current secretary isFrancisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who assumed office on November 3, 2023.[3]
The Department of Agriculture had its spiritual beginnings when PresidentEmilio Aguinaldo of theRevolutionary Government of the Philippines established theDepartment of Agriculture and Manufacturing on June 23, 1898.[5]Jose Alejandrino was appointed the first secretary.
In 1901, under theAmericancolonial government, priority was given to the development of other agricultural products, such asrice and other basic commodities, as well asfishing,forestry, andmining. This new focus necessitated the establishment of theInsular Bureau of Agriculture. This bureau was put under theDepartment of the Interior through Act No. 271 of thePhilippine Legislature, and was later put under the supervision of theDepartment of Public Instruction in 1910.[5]
The first Filipino to head the Bureau of Agriculture was Adriano Hernández, himself a practicing farmer.[5]
The Bureau of Agriculture grew rapidly until it was abolished by the enactment of Act No. 2666, otherwise known as An Act to Re-organize the Executive Department of the Government of the Philippine Islands, on November 18, 1916, and was implemented on January 1, 1917. This act provided for the establishment of theDepartment of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR), which would take over direct executive control, direction, and supervision of the Bureaus of Agriculture, Forestry, Lands, Science, and Weather, as well as all matters concerninghunting, fisheries,sponges and other sea products, and such others as may be assigned to it by law.
By virtue of another reorganization (as per Act No. 4007[6]) in 1932, the DANR became theDepartment of Agriculture and Commerce. The Bureau of Commerce, which used to be under the Department of Commerce and Communication, was placed under the reorganized department.
In 1942, while theCommonwealth government was in exile, the department was re-organized again, becoming theDepartment of Finance, Agriculture and Commerce. Upon the resumption of the commonwealth in February 1945, it became theDepartment of Justice, Agriculture and Commerce, and then back to being theDepartment of Agriculture and Commerce in December the same year.
In 1947, the agriculture department was renamed again as theDepartment of Agriculture and Natural Resources by virtue of Executive Order No. 94.[7] The Bureau of Commerce, among others, was incorporated to the newly createdDepartment of Commerce and Industry.
On September 14, 1959, the DANR moved to its current building in Diliman,Quezon City from theAgrifina Circle (now the Teodoro Valencia Circle) in Manila.
By virtue of Presidential Decree No. 461,[8] the DANR was split in May 1974 into two departments: theDepartment of Agriculture and the Department of Natural Resources (now theDENR).
After the shift to theparliamentary system in 1978, all departments were changed to ministries. Thus, the office became theMinistry of Agriculture and Food until 1987, when the office's name was reverted to theDepartment of Agriculture by Executive Order No. 116.[9]
The same executive order mandated the DA to promote agricultural development by providing the policy framework, public investment, and support services, which are needed for domestic and export-oriented business enterprises. Guided by the principle that agriculture is business, the DA implemented policy and institutional reforms that freed the agriculture markets, enabling farmers to enjoy higherfarmgate prices. These reforms included the dismantling of agriculturalmonopolies and the elimination of agricultural taxes. Reforms of theagricultural credit system, such as the phase-out of the direct lending scheme, were also initiated.
In May 2014, pursuant to Executive Order No. 165,[10] four agencies representing three-quarters of the DA's budget — theFertilizer and Pesticide Authority, theNational Food Authority, theNational Irrigation Administration, and thePhilippine Coconut Authority — were removed from DA control. This was part of the anti-corruption reforms which followed thepork barrel scam. The four agencies are now direct subjects of theOffice of the President, where they are overseen by thePresidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization.[11]
The department is headed by theSecretary of Agriculture, with the following undersecretaries and assistant secretaries:
Under the Office of the Secretary are the following offices and services:
A regional executive director is assigned to each of the 17regions of the Philippines.
On January 25, 2024,Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. designated formerNational Food Authority official Roger Navarro as DA undersecretary for operations, as acting undersecretary for rice industry development, replacing Leocadio Sebastian. Navarro was also named officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Office of the National Project Director, Philippine Rural Development Project and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Operations. Tiu Laurel Jr. appointed Arnel de Mesa as the full-time spokesman for the DA, promoted his chief of staff, John Alvin F. Balagbag, as undersecretary and lawyer Roland Tulay as OIC of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Office of the Undersecretary for Administration. Also appointed were DA’s representatives to the technical working group drafting the implementing rules and regulations of The Internet Transactions Act of 2023 Director IV Honorio Flameno Ph. D. and Information Technology Officer III Xerxees Remorozo.[12][13]
The DA is composed of eight bureaus,[14] namely:
Formerly-attached bureaus:
The following agencies, corporations and councils are attached to the DA for policy and program coordination:
Formerly-attached agencies:
General:
