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AMID LOOMING FOOD CRISIS
DA exec: P30B-P40B needed to ensure sufficient rice supply
By TED CORDERO,GMA NewsThe incoming administration of presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. needs to shell out P30 billion to P40 billion to avert an impending supply shortage of rice in the second half of the year due to the increasing prices of fertilizer, a top official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Saturday.
In an interview on Dobol B TV, DA Undersecretary Fermin Adriano reiterated Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s warning that a food crisis might hit the country.
On Wednesday, Dar said, citing experts, that there is a looming food crisis
brought by increases in the prices of farm inputs during the second semester of 2022, aggravated by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy, rising fuel prices, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.“Ang food crisis maaaring maramdaman towards the end of the year,” Adriano said.
(The food crisis might be felt towards the end of the year.)
“Nagbibigay kami ng warning sa next administration, hindi natin alam kung sasapat ang supply ng bigas sa second half ng taon… Kapag hindi tayo nagbigay ng ayuda sa mga magsasaka para sa fertilizer, baka magkaproblema,” the DA official said.
(We are giving a warning to the next administration, we do not know if the supply of rice in the second half of the year would be enough… If we do not give aid to farmers for fertilizer there might be a problem.)
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With this, Adriano said that there might be a contraction of 1.1 million metric tons in palay or paddy rice output.
To avert this, he said “kailangan ng P30 billion to P40 billion na pondo para matiyak na magiging sapat ang supply ng bigas sa bansa.”
(Around P30 billion to P40 billion of funding is needed to ensure that the supply of rice in the country would be sufficient.)
Adriano said the DA is pushing for the production of more seeds to be given for free to farmers by the agency.
Meanwhile, he said that food supply in poor countries would be the most affected due to the disruption triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Pinag-uusapan ng malalaking lider ng mga bansa na hindi lang ito food crisis kundi food catastrophe,” Adriano said.
(World leaders are discussing that this is not only a looming food crisis but a food catastrophe.) —KG, GMA News