Año favors declaration of food emergency to counter ‘artificially high’ rice prices
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Tuesday backed the declaration of a food emergency in the country, saying that food security “is a national security interest.”
In a statement, Año said the declaration will address high prices of commodities, particularly rice, which is the country’s staple food.
“While there is sufficient supply of rice in the country, the price of rice, however, remains artificially high despite declining global rice costs and tariff reductions ordered by the President. Since rice is the country’s staple food, artificially high prices directly impact the lives of all Filipinos,” he said.
The Department of Agriculture, according to him, is well within its authority “to effectively regulate and reduce the price to protect the interests of the public.”
Based on Republic Act No. 12078, or the law amending the Agricultural Tariffication Act, the agriculture chief has the power to declare a food security emergency if there is an extraordinary increase in the prices of rice or a shortage of rice supplies.
“Profiteering from the food security emergency, politicizing this issue for partisan political interest, and other malicious activities will cause more harm to the Filipino people,” Año said.“Now is not the time for more profits. Now is the time to put the country first,” Año added.
The DA is expected to declare a food security emergency on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Based on the DA’s price monitoring report for Jan. 15, the price of imported commercial rice ranged from P44 per kilo to P65 per kilo, while local commercial rice ranged from P37 to P63 per kilo, which is above the price of P29 per kilo of rice expected by the government.
Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, chair of the National Price Coordinating Council, said the declaration of a food emergency would allow the National Food Authority to release buffer stock of rice to stabilize prices.
Read: No rice shortage amid plans to declare food security emergency
