Harvesting Spain’s agriculture expertise

Last  week, the Spanish embassy hosted a luncheon to honor  H.E. Luis Planas Puchades, Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, together with Fernando Heredia Noguer, the ministry’s Director-General for International Relations.

The event was hosted by Spanish Ambassador Miguel Utray Delgado and organized by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by its president Diego Castillejo and executive director Ascensión Lillo-Martín.

The luncheon introduced the Agrupación de Chefs Españoles en Filipinas, or Association of Spanish Chefs in the Philippines. Renowned Spanish chefs showcased Spain’s  gastronomy – a fitting demonstration of how Spain connects farms and fisheries to food processing, restaurants, tourism and its national identity.

But the visit was more than a celebration of Spanish cuisine. It presented an opportunity for agricultural cooperation and, more importantly, technology transfer. Minister Planas met Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to discuss cooperation in agriculture and fisheries. Their meeting followed the Philippines’ reopening of its market to Spanish pork. The Philippines is Spain’s third largest pork market by volume, accounting for 14 percent of its overseas sales. Bilateral agri-food and fisheries trade reached 835.6 million euros in 2025.

The larger opportunity, however, is not simply to import more Spanish meat, wine and olive oil. It is to import Spanish knowledge and technology.

Spain as a food power

Spain was not always an agricultural powerhouse. It once suffered from low productivity, fragmented landholdings, inadequate irrigation and dependence on imported food. Its transformation to food self-sufficiency was a result of implementing painful reforms.

Political reform was the foundation. Agricultural modernization accelerated during Spain’s entry into the European Economic Community in 1986. Spain’s EU membership provided it access to best practices, new technologies, infrastructure financing, research networks and a vast single market.

Spain began to consolidate farms, modernized irrigation, strengthened cooperatives, enforced safety standards and built modern logistics and cold-chain systems. It supported research institutions while helping producers meet European quality, traceability and environmental standards.

The results are impressive. Spanish agri-food and fisheries exports reached a record 78 billion euros in 2025. Spain is now the world’s leading exporter of olive oil, the second largest wine exporter and the third largest pork producer. Its food industry is its largest manufacturing sector.

Technology

Technology helped Spain overcome its greatest constraint – water, or the lack of it. Spanish farms use drip irrigation, fertigation, soil sensors, satellites and automated water controls. Recycled and desalinated water supports production in dry regions, while climate-controlled greenhouses deliver high-value crops year-round.

I have personally seen the vast vegetable farms in Almería, in the southern tip of Spain, and was thoroughly impressed by its scale and water management.

Artificial intelligence has accelerated productivity. AI analyzes satellite, drone and sensor data to predict weather, detect pests, identify crop stress and determine precisely when to irrigate, fertilize or harvest. It also forecasts demand, improves livestock health and strengthens traceability from farm to supermarket. Biotechnology, refrigeration and modern packaging further reduce losses.

The Philippine contradiction

The Philippines possesses agricultural advantages Spain does not. It enjoys year-round sunlight, abundant rainfall, fertile land, extensive coastlines and extraordinary biodiversity. Filipino farmers are hardworking, its fisherfolk are skilled, all supported by a domestic market of 120 million consumers.

Yet the Philippines depends on imported rice, corn, meat, dairy, salt, vegetables and fish. Its farmers are ageing and poor. Farms are fragmented, irrigation inadequate, mechanization uneven and post-harvest facilities scarce. Punishing logistics costs and powerful traders further diminish farmers’ earnings.

The greatest weakness is not the Filipino farmer. It is the system surrounding him.

Research rarely becomes commercial technology. Credit is scarce, agricultural data unreliable and smuggling rampant. Land-use policies are inconsistent, while infrastructure is often dictated by politics rather than productivity.

The ideal solution

First, establish demonstration farms with Spanish companies and research institutions, focusing on efficient irrigation, greenhouses, biosecurity, aquaculture, cold storage and food processing. Second, organize farmers into genuine cooperatives and production clusters. Measure irrigation by productive hectares, not money spent. Third, connect researchers with farmers and investors while expanding crop insurance, affordable credit and reliable digital land records.

Fourth, build regional food terminals, processing centers, refrigerated warehouses and inter-island cold chains to reduce spoilage and stabilize supply. Fifth, stop agricultural smuggling and maintain predictable import policies so farmers can invest confidently. Sixth, complete land reform and consolidate fragmented plots through leasing and cooperatives without compromising ownership.

Finally, protect programs from political cycles. Measure success by higher yields and farmer incomes, lower food losses and reduced import dependence – not ribbon-cuttings, slogans or press releases.

President Marcos promised to transform agriculture, even appointing himself agriculture secretary for dramatic effect. Four years later, production outputs have barely increased, smuggling remains rampant, farmers remain poor and imports continue to compensate for weak domestic production. Agricultural reform has become yet another broken promise in Marcos’ growing catalogue of failures.

Fortunately, we have steadfast friends in Minister Luis Planas Puchades, Fernando Heredia Noguer and Ambassador Miguel Utray Delgado, all willing to share Spain’s expertise. The technology exists, capital can be mobilized and Filipino farmers are ready to work. What remains missing is decisive leadership.

Perhaps by 2028, we will finally elect a president with the vision and political will to transform Philippine agriculture.

Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan