- DA’s $8.96m plan fills a seed storage gap for local firms.
- Shared facilities could free up funds for climate-resilient seed R&D.
- The move shifts policy from disaster response to preparedness.
The announcement came during the launch of an upgraded Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) seed storage facility in Quezon City, where Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government aims to establish similar systems in all regions.
For the local seed industry, the investment represents a significant intervention.
The government’s investment in seed storage addresses a longstanding gap in the agricultural value chain.
More importantly, it could free private seed firms from maintaining costly emergency reserves.
This would allow them to put more resources into breeding the kind of seed varieties the country will need as climate risks intensify.
“This is a big help for the local seed industry. Not all seed companies have the capital to build and maintain this kind of facility,” said Julius Barcelona, chief operating officer of Harbest Agribusiness Corp. and vice president of the Philippine Seed Industry Association.
He added that publicly accessible storage would allow companies to shift capital previously locked into emergency seed inventories toward the research and development of higher-yielding, climate-resilient varieties.
A vulnerable supply chain
The initiative comes after recent weather-related disruptions exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s agricultural supply chain.
“Our target is to have seed storage systems in all regions to avoid a repeat of what happened in Baguio, where we didn’t have enough carrot seeds to replace those washed out,” said Tiu Laurel.
The shortage forced farmers to switch to cabbage, triggering a carrot shortage and a cabbage glut that rippled through prices and farm incomes.
The Philippines, which sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire and in the path of many regional typhoons, remains one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
The move signals a shift in the DA’s agricultural policy from responding to disasters after they occur to building resilience beforehand, ensuring farmers have access to quality seeds when they are needed most.
According to the DA, PHP250m (USD4.07m) has been earmarked to build larger storage facilities in Bicol, Cagayan Valley, Panay and Iloilo in 2026.
Another PHP300m (USD4.88m) has been proposed for 2027 to continue the rollout.
Building resilience into seed facilities
The upgraded Quezon City facility has three 400-square-metre storage rooms capable of holding 9,000 bags of seed, mostly rice.
According to BPI Director Glenn Panganiban, the refurbishment cost less than PHP3m.
More than half of the funds were spent on a solar power system that now covers about 60% of the facility’s electricity needs.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro said incorporating solar energy into the warehouses keeps operating costs low while ensuring facilities remain functional during disruptions.
He said future warehouses will carry similarly substantial solar systems, supporting the DA’s broader push to reduce production costs for farmers.
“This supports our goal of reducing production costs for farmers while making these facilities sustainable over the long term,” said Navarro.
