By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Complementing the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) various efforts to strengthen the domestic agriculture industry, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has partnered with the former in a bid to strengthen the alignment of both agencies to promote farm tourism in the country.
In a media release on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco signed a memorandum of agreement aimed at tightening the link between food production and the country’s expanding travel industry.
This mutual collaboration is expected to help position the Philippines as a prime gastronomic destination, while elevating local cuisine and culture to the global stage and the discerning palates of visitors eager to taste delicacies that embody the Southeast Asian nation’s rich heritage.
Secretary Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement, “This is not simply about adding tourist stops to farms, a visit that could even spur greater investment in the farm sector.”
The agriculture chief expounded, “When hotels and restaurants source consistently from Filipino farmers, we stimulate rural investments, generate employment, and expand economic activity beyond primary production.”
The agreement anchors itself on existing national policies, including the 1987 Constitution that mandates state support for agriculture through research, technology, financing, and marketing assistance; the Tourism Act of 2009 that promotes agri-tourism and countryside development; the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016 that declares farm tourism a key strategy for sustainable rural growth; and the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 which tasks the DA with modernizing agriculture and fisheries to raise incomes and productivity.
Under the agreement, the agencies will coordinate on expanding farm tourism destinations, promoting Filipino cuisine, and integrating agricultural priorities into tourism planning.
A central feature is the alignment of Farm-to-Market Road projects with tourism circuits under the Tourism Road Infrastructure program to improve access to farms and emerging destinations while strengthening logistics for producers.
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