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Francisco "Kiko" P. Tiu Laurel Jr. was appointed by His Excellency President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as the Secretary of the Philippine Department of Agriculture on November 3, 2023.

Under his leadership, the Department of Agriculture aims to “adopt a science-based approach to rice farming to increase yield and establish a sustainable rice value chain.” Secretary Laurel commits to stepping up efforts to urgently modernize and mechanize farming, build more agricultural infrastructure, and adopt the latest technologies to improve rice production, increase farm yield and grain supply, minimize imports, and lower prices of the national food staple.

Prior to his appointment, Secretary Laurel has actively led various agricultural and fishery organizations including the Confederation of the Philippine Tuna Industry, Inc., Processing Sector – Bangus Council of the Philippines, World Tuna Purse Seine Organization, and the Inter-Island Deep Sea Fishing Organization. He also served as the President of the Agusan Power Corporation and led the family-owned Frabelle Fishing Corporation, a deep-sea fishing company operating in the Asia-Pacific region.