Marcos administration intensifies push to eliminate agricultural middlemen

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday underscored the government's ongoing initiative to eliminate middlemen in the agricultural sector, aiming to create more direct pathways between farmers, producers, and consumers. The president made the remarks while visiting the Batangas Egg Producers Multipurpose Cooperative (BEPCO) in San Jose, Batangas, where he assessed the cooperative's operations and market linkages. The administration views the removal of intermediaries as critical to improving farm-gate prices for agricultural producers while reducing consumer costs. "This is the continuing effort of the government," the president stated, signaling that the initiative remains a priority across various agricultural commodities and regions. The visit to BEPCO highlighted the government's focus on supporting cooperatives as platforms for collective marketing and direct sales, allowing producers to capture higher margins and maintain greater control over their supply chains. Agriculture officials have positioned such efforts as key to enhancing the sector's competitiveness and addressing longstanding concerns about farmer profitability.