A Flavorful Revolution: 2025 DTI Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair to Ignite the Filipino Culinary Spirit

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Prepare your senses for a gastronomic odyssey like no other, as the 2025 DTI Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair storms into SM Megamall’s Megatrade Halls from April 9 to 13, 2025. This isn't just a food fair—it's a bold declaration of Filipino culinary brilliance, innovation, and entrepreneurial resilience. It's where tradition meets transformation, and the soul of Filipino flavor takes center stage.

Under the banner "Bigger, Better, More Impactful," the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and OTOP (DTI-BMDPO), is cooking up more than just a fair. It's presenting an immersive, five-day celebration of taste, talent, and tenacity, spotlighting over 250 regional food ventures from Luzon to Mindanao, all bursting with authentic stories and future-forward flavors.

Not Just a Fair—A Movement

“This event exemplifies DTI’s commitment to making its trade fairs progressively bigger and better,” said Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza D. Bautista, Supervising Head of the DTI-Competitiveness and Innovation Group (CIG). “We’re talking quality, quantity, and impact.” This year’s food fair isn't just about the products; it's about creating platforms, scaling Filipino MSMEs, and fostering sustainability in the most delicious ways imaginable.

Backed by the Tatak Pinoy Strategy Program, the fair is also a national initiative that transforms the usual marketplace into a dynamic platform for innovation, access, and digital transformation. It's where digital meets delicious—through seamless cashless payment systems, e-commerce tools, and eco-conscious business practices.

Culinary Adventures That Await

Step into a world where every aisle is a passport to flavor:

An Archipelago of Flavors – Relish in heirloom recipes and bold culinary experiments from every island group, offering everything from Mindanao's exotic spices to Visayas’ freshest catches and Luzon's artisanal health foods.

Worlds Within Worlds – Enter immersive zones like the Fresh Produce Grand Marketplace, KAPEtiya Philippine Coffee Pavilion, and the buzzing KAINAN Dining Area, where every bite tells a story.

Taste Tomorrow, Today – Witness how Filipino MSMEs are leading the future with plant-based alternatives, eco-friendly packaging, and groundbreaking food technologies.

Bridging Businesses, Building Futures – Celebrate the game-changing launch of the DTI Bagong Pilipinas Marketplace, a B2B e-commerce bridge connecting Filipino ingenuity to the world.

More Than Just Tasting – From live cooking demos by celebrated chefs to wine-pairing sessions, cultural performances, and dynamic business talks, this fair promises a sensory explosion.

A Celebration of the Filipino Spirit

“This fair is a testament to the Filipino spirit—resilient, creative, and incredibly flavorful,” Asec. Bautista passionately expressed. “We’re not just showcasing products; we’re celebrating the passion and potential of Filipino food entrepreneurs ready to shine on the global stage.”

Event Details:

What: 2025 DTI Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair

When: April 9–13, 2025

Where: Megatrade Halls 1–3, Level 5, Mega B, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

Follow the Flavor Trail:

Facebook: @BDTP

X (Twitter): @DTI_BMDPO

Instagram: @dti.bmdpo

YouTube: @dti_bmdpo

TikTok: @dti.bmdpo

Hungry Yet?

Come not just to eat, but to experience, explore, and engage. Whether you're a food lover, entrepreneur, or cultural enthusiast, the 2025 DTI Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair is your front-row seat to the future of Filipino food—bold, bright, and beautifully Pinoy.

For inquiries, email BMDPO@dti.gov.ph or visit your local DTI office for more information on how to participate.

“Seeds of the Future: The Philippines’ Largest Tech-Driven Greenhouse Rises in Bulacan”

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In the quiet municipality of San Rafael, Bulacan, something revolutionary is growing—not just in the soil, but in the very heart of the nation’s agricultural future. Amidst the lush, fertile plains, a 3.5-hectare marvel has bloomed: Metro Pacific Fresh Farms (MPFF), the country’s largest and most advanced tech-driven greenhouse, unveiled by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) through its agri-food arm, Metro Pacific Agro Ventures (MPAV).

This isn’t just another farm. This is the beginning of a bold new chapter in the Philippines’ quest for food independence.

A Vision Rooted in National Pride

For decades, Philippine agriculture has grappled with inefficiency, vulnerability to climate change, and overreliance on imports. But MPIC Chairman, President, and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, widely regarded as one of the nation’s visionary leaders, dares to change that.

“The vision behind these investments is an agriculturally independent Philippines,” Pangilinan declared during the facility’s launch. “We want to help build a nation that’s capable of feeding all of its people.”

This powerful statement is more than corporate rhetoric. It is a rallying cry for sustainability, innovation, and sovereignty—a commitment to transforming the nation from a food importer to a food innovator.

Israel Meets the Philippines: A Technological Alliance

At the core of MPFF is world-class Israeli agri-tech innovation—specifically designed to tackle the harshest challenges in farming. Through partnerships with Israel’s LR Group, Metro Pacific Fresh Farms integrates advanced greenhouse systems with nutrient film techniques and precision drip irrigation.

The results? Five times the yield compared to traditional farming, while using 90% less water and land.

Where typical farms are at the mercy of weather patterns and resource scarcity, MPFF thrives in controlled environments, immune to droughts or typhoons. Every head of lettuce, every tomato vine, every melon grown under its glass roof represents a promise: fresh, high-quality vegetables, available 365 days a year.

From Leafy Greens to a Greener Nation

Already, MPFF is producing an impressive 60,000 heads of lettuce per month, with a projected annual yield of 500 metric tons of vegetables—lettuce, tomatoes, melons, and more—all under the brand “More Veggies Please”.

But this is just the beginning.

According to MPAV President and CEO Jovy I. Hernandez, the San Rafael facility will double its size to 7 hectares by late 2026. Even more ambitious are plans to roll out 10 satellite greenhouses across the country in the next five years. Each will cover a hectare and be strategically located near urban centers to cut logistics costs and deliver farm-fresh produce faster.

These aren't just expansions—they are ecosystems designed to nourish a nation and stimulate rural economies.

A New Era of Farming

In a time when food prices soar, and environmental degradation threatens the future of farming, Metro Pacific Fresh Farms presents a compelling alternative. It is a fusion of science, sustainability, and strategy, proving that agriculture in the Philippines doesn’t need to be left behind. It can lead.

This greenhouse isn’t just a facility—it’s a statement. A bold declaration that technology and tradition can coexist, that progress can flourish on Filipino soil, and that food security is not a distant dream but a growing, living reality.

Sowing the Seeds of Tomorrow

The launch of Metro Pacific Fresh Farms sends a powerful message to farmers, investors, policymakers, and every Filipino: our future can be homegrown.

With the backing of a visionary conglomerate, the brilliance of global technology, and the rich promise of Filipino land, the Philippines is planting more than vegetables. It is planting hope. Hope for a day when no Filipino goes hungry, when farming becomes a source of pride and prosperity, and when the nation can finally proclaim itself agriculturally sovereign.

The future of farming has arrived—and it is growing in Bulacan.

You Won’t Believe What This Benguet Farmer Grew Without Soil—Revolutionizing Farming from His Own Kitchen

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In the misty mountains of La Trinidad, Benguet—where strawberries bloom and cold winds whisper through terraced farms—a quiet revolution is sprouting from a farmer’s kitchen.

Fredie Ayawan, a soft-spoken but fiercely inventive local farmer, has shaken the roots of traditional agriculture by doing the unthinkable: growing lush, high-quality vegetables and herbs—without an inch of soil.

Yes, you read that right.

This self-made innovator and owner of FMA Agritech Integrated Farm has developed his very own Kitchen Hydroponics System, a groundbreaking cultivation method that uses a nutrient-rich water solution to grow crops. And the results? Nothing short of extraordinary. Leafy greens that thrive faster. Herbs bursting with flavor. Crops cultivated with precision, purity, and promise.

But this is more than just a farming hack. It’s a lifeline. A solution born from urgency.

Farming on the Edge: The Crisis Fredie Took Head-On

With the rapid urbanization of La Trinidad, vast tracts of farmland are disappearing under concrete. Farmers, once the lifeblood of Benguet’s thriving agricultural economy, are now pressed against the walls—fighting for shrinking spaces and dwindling resources.

That’s when Fredie dared to imagine: What if you could farm vertically, inside homes, and in small urban lots—with no soil, no pesticides, and no heavy machinery?

Enter his Kitchen Hydroponics System.

Designed for scalability, this system brings farming right to people’s homes—on rooftops, balconies, kitchens, and even tight urban corners. With the right nutrient mix flowing through water channels, plants grow faster and healthier, using up to 90% less water than conventional farming.

The system also opens up massive potential for urban agriculture, food security, and sustainable living. You don’t need hectares. You just need heart, innovation, and a kitchen.

Elevating the Game: Triple Your Harvest, Half the Space

Fredie’s invention is riding the wave of a bigger movement: Elevated Farming, a technique the La Trinidad local government now actively promotes. Learning from advanced Japanese agricultural systems, farmers in the region have discovered that growing crops vertically can triple production.

This method doesn’t just defy gravity—it defies the limitations that have shackled small farmers for generations.

“Traditional land may be scarce, but ideas? They’re unlimited,” Fredie shares with quiet confidence.

By merging his hydroponic system with vertical farming structures, farmers now have a powerful combo: a way to grow more food in less space—with fewer resources and better quality.

The Organic Future: Clean, Green, and GAP-Certified

Fredie’s system also supports La Trinidad’s push for organic agriculture and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)—a move that not only ensures food safety but also guarantees better prices and market access for farmers.

Despite only a fraction of the region’s agricultural land being certified organic, interest is growing fast. The local government is providing greenhouses, irrigation systems, and hands-on training to help farmers transition to cleaner, greener methods.

Fredie’s Kitchen Hydroponics slots in perfectly. It eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, making it ideal for organic farming—even in the middle of a city.

Training an Urban Army: Growing Food in the City

The Agricultural Training Institute–Cordillera (ATI-CAR) has already begun tapping into this innovation. Through hydroponics and home gardening workshops, they’re empowering urban residents to grow their own vegetables.

No backyard? No problem. With Fredie’s system, anyone can start a small-scale farm—right in their home.

This isn’t just about convenience. It’s about resilience—giving families a reliable source of nutritious food, reducing dependence on imports, and creating micro-enterprises that can thrive in the heart of the city.

Even the Fog Helps: Harnessing Nature’s Resources

And just when you thought things couldn’t get any more futuristic—another innovation is sweeping through Benguet: fog catchers. These water-harvesting structures collect moisture from the mountain mist, providing up to 25 liters of water daily.

Pair these with hydroponic systems, and you’ve got a closed-loop, sustainable farming model that works even when traditional water sources run dry.

It’s the kind of ingenuity that brings tears to your eyes and hope to your table.

The Harvest of Tomorrow Starts Today

Fredie Ayawan is not just a farmer—he’s a visionary.

His Kitchen Hydroponics System proves that solutions to the world’s biggest problems—food insecurity, climate change, urbanization—don’t always come from high-tech labs or billion-dollar firms.

Sometimes, they bloom quietly in the cool mountain breeze of Benguet. In a kitchen. In the heart of a farmer who refused to give up.

In a world full of noise, Fredie’s story is a whisper of brilliance—a reminder that the seeds of change are already in our hands.

And they’re growing—fast.