UNIFED president, SRA chief welcome Laurel as DA secretary

The appointment of Francisco Tiu Laurel as agriculture secretary was welcomed by the leader of a sugar planters group and the administrator of the Sugar Regulatory Administration.

In a statement, Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) said, “We warmly welcome the appointment of Francisco Laurel, Jr. as the new Agriculture Secretary.”

“We are looking forward to working with him and presenting to him the state of the sugar industry and how the department can extend its assistance and resources to our industry, particularly now that we are in the thick of our milling season,” Lamata said.

On the other hand, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) administrator Pablo Azcona said, “We, in SRA, are happy to welcome our newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel, Jr.”

“Rest assured that SRA will be supportive of the DA’s programs as it has in the past, and we are looking forward to strengthen this partnership with the DA,” Azcona said.

He also thanked former DA chief, “no less than President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for the support and assistance he has extended to SRA and the entire sugar industry.”

The appointment of fishing tycoon Tiu Laurel comes after Marcos was at the helm of the department.

Marcos expressed confidence in Laurel’s capacity to lead the DA given his decades-long experience and connections with experts in the field.

Laurel owns Frabelle Fishing Corporation, a deep sea fishing company supplying fresh, frozen, and processed seafood products to domestic and international markets.

Before the appointment of Laurel as DA chief, he was part of the Private Sector Advisory Council’s agriculture group helping the government address food security issues.* (EYAdiong/PTV News photo)