30 March 2026 – The typical Filipino farmer operates on precarious margins, where even a successful harvest can be undermined by domestic challenges – low prices, high costs, and limited market access. And in today’s interconnected economies, these hurdles are worsened by global volatility. The Middle East conflict and the surge in global fuel prices place additional pressure on the agriculture sector with the increase in the cost of fertilizers, tractor diesel, and hauling.

For the Philippine business community, this is not just a humanitarian concern; it is a threat to supply chain stability, inflation predictability, and farmer income.

This was the backdrop of Makati Business Club’s Agriculture and Food Security Summit, held on March 17, 2026, with the tagline “Food is Everyone’s Business”. The summit marked a key milestone in an advocacy that began in 2024, reflecting a progression from words to action. The message to businesses is clear: agriculture is not only a development imperative, but a driver of economic growth. It requires capital, management expertise, and long-term commitment to better integrate our farmers into the value chain.

Moving beyond the boardroom, MBC developed its agriculture program around eight focus areas; designed to build an inclusive and competitive ecosystem, helping farmers earn more while consumers pay less.

• Empowering Cooperatives: The Adopt-a-Cooperative project brings management rigor to farmer organizations. As CARD MRI’s Dr. Aristotle Alip emphasized, the goal is to transform cooperatives into competitive enterprises through capacity-building and market linkages. MBC has moved from theory to pilots, working with IMDALSA in Mindanao, and Grano de Oro and AGRIFIACO in Luzon.
• Scaling Proven Models: The summit highlighted the value proposition and operating approaches of agribusinesses such as Universal Leaf, Alsons, Rice Impact Corporation and Agro-DigitalPH. These models increased farmer income and productivity, demonstrating that scaling in Philippine agriculture is possible and sustainable.
• Promoting Price Transparency: MBC is exploring pilots with LGUs to strengthen farmers’ bargaining power. Victor Paterno of 7-Eleven Philippines highlighted the hard truths of price asymmetry and the opportunity for the private sector to help address these gaps through real-time price boards.
• Logistics and Cold Storage: MBC is exploring cold storage solutions to reduce post-harvest losses and improve transport efficiency in strategic production areas.
• Accelerating Agri-Technology: MBC is engaging with providers to introduce climate-smart tools to improve resilience and productivity. This includes satellite and drone technologies, and AI for production and supply chain.
• Agri-Biz Connect: MBC connects cooperatives directly with institutional buyers to expand their markets and encourage investment in scalable enterprises. MBC also serves as a coalition secretariat to link business capital and expertise to agriculture organizations. The Agri Summit exhibit served as an initial platform for these linkages.
• Advocating Policy Reform: A fireside chat with DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. underscored the need to translate policy into tangible outcomes through investments in infrastructure, data-driven governance, and institutional reform.

A Call to Action: Your Business, Our Future
Developing Philippine agriculture is not the sole responsibility of the government. It is a shared effort where business plays a critical role in strengthening value chains, expanding markets, and investing in long-term solutions.

This is an opportunity to contribute to agricultural transformation – not only as corporate social responsibility, but as a strategic investment in business growth and economic resilience.

The success of this roadmap depends on active private sector participation. We ask business leaders to identify where they can contribute:

• Share your expertise to strengthen the management and technical capabilities of cooperatives
• Open direct sourcing channels to expand markets for farmers
• Help replicate proven models in new regions or commodities
• Invest in social enterprises and innovators that deliver both social impact and financial returns

We are not starting from concepts. The models are tested, the opportunities are real, and the impact on farmers is tangible. And the government is aligned and engaged. The time to move from the boardroom to the field is now. And what is needed is the business community’s commitment to stabilizing agriculture production, securing and optimizing the food supply chain, and uplifting the lives of farmers.

Manolito (Lito) Tayag is a member of MBC’s Board of Trustees and is the Chairperson of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). He leads MBC’s Agriculture Committee.

Business Matters is a project of Makati Business Club.

This article was published under the Business Matters Column of INQUIRER. Business Matters is a project of Makati Business Club