Pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 8435 – “Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997,” it is the mandate of the Department of Agriculture (DA)  to develop the agriculture and fisheries sectors under the following principles, namely:

(1) poverty alleviation and social equity;

(2) food security;

(3) rational use of resources;

(4) global competitiveness;

(5) sustainable development;

(6) people empowerment;

(7) protection from unfair competition.