Agricultural Ministers of Korea and the Philippines Strengthen Cooperation 

Sejong, 4 March 2026 — From 3 to 4 March, H.E. Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea, held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. Secretary of the Department of Agriculture of the Republic of the Philippines, on the occasion of the President of the Republic of Korea’s state visit to the Republic of the Philippines.

On 3 March, Minister Song Miryung attended a ceremony to exchange a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Agriculture, held at Malacañán Palace. At the ceremony, both sides signed an MoU on agricultural cooperation. On 4 March, Minister Song and Secretary Laurel discussed practical measures to expand bilateral cooperation in agriculture. 

With the MoU in place, the two sides agreed to broaden the scope of cooperation to include agricultural inputs such as agricultural machinery, seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides, and to resume the agricultural cooperation committee. They also shared a mutual understanding for the need to increase the entry of Korean agricultural inputs into the Philippines, as a means of giving further momentum to the agricultural modernisation that the Government of the Republic of the Philippines has prioritised as a national task.

Minister Song Miryung of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated: “The groundbreaking ceremony for the Korean Agricultural Machinery Industrial Complex was held in the City of Cabanatuan, the Philippines, in December 2025. I requested the cooperation of the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines to ensure that the Industrial Complex can be established as planned. We, Korea and the Philippines, have reaffirmed our shared commitment to work together to promote the mutual growth of the agricultural sectors in both countries.”

Meanwhile, Minister Song visited Korean companies in the Philippines that import and distribute Korean agricultural machinery and equipment to local farmers, and received a briefing on the characteristics of the Philippine agricultural machinery market. Minister Song also took the opportunity to hear about the challenges and suggestions for expanding exports of K-agricultural machinery. 

Minister Song then met with local buyers distributing Korean agri-food products in the Philippines, and inspected the K-food logistics warehouses. Recently, the popularity of K-Food has been rising among Filipino consumers, fuelled by Hallyu content such as K-dramas.