The next administration should prioritize policies that will ensure food security and increased production to address the needs of the country’s growing population, according to food producers led by advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan.
The groups said the country’s self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) on some food products indicate a shortfall.
SSR is the magnitude of production in relation to domestic utilization.
As of end 2020, SSR on pork stood at 91 percent; chicken at 92.9 percent; galunggong, at 89.4 percent and tuna, 79.5 percent.
Data from the Commission on Population and Development showed the country’s population by yearend could balloon to about 110, 881,756.
In an online briefing yesterday, the food producers cited the need for stronger measures that will improve local food production following the Ukraine-Russian conflict, the pandemic and the continued intrusion in the West Philippine Sea.
“We have to rethink our strategy. Our feed producers need our support. One way of helping them is to increase corn production so that there is enough to feed our livestock. If we have enough feed, the cost of production for hog farmers will go down. We are (then) able to lower the price and pass on the savings to consumers,” said Chester Warren Tan, president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers.
Robert Lo, chief executive officer at Fresh Options, called for the strict implementation of the Land Use Act to discourage owners from speculating on the prices of their properties or intentionally leaving their lands idle and unproductive to be qualified for conversion to activities outside of agriculture including but not limited to industrial use and real estate.
Rosanna Contreras, president of Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc., said the government should facilitate issuance of permits to fishermen that would allow them to seek new fishing grounds in adjacent high seas where all nationalities are allowed to operate, provided they follow international rules.
Norbert Chingcuanco, vice president for corporate planning of Feedmix Specialist Inc. and co-convenor of Tugon Kabuhayan, cited the need to pass a Water Use Act to provide a more efficient way to acquire long-term permits for operating fish cages and ponds.
“Most mariculture operation permits are issued yearly; this is very risky considering the huge investments on capital outlay, technology and personnel… We need those who are going to be in office to invest time in our industries. The aquaculture industry requests the government to allow us to lease water in different remote areas,” Chingcuanco added.
