Affordable and sufficient food firstWith the Philippines facing supply shortfalls and high prices on a number of agricultural and food items, San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president Ramon S. Ang is confident his latest initiatives will help attain the goal of food self-sufficiency for the country in the medium term. It is therefore not a surprise that the Philippines was only 64th out of 113 countries in the 2021 Global Food Security index of UK-based Economist Impact and 146th out of 171 in the second quarter 2022 global food security index of Deep Knowledge Analytics. Severe food insecurity means that a person either runs out of food or goes an entire day without eating at times. The Department of Agriculture is banking on a 40 percent budget increase for next year to boost domestic production and shore up food security. Let us hope for all our sakes that the president will continue to make agriculture and food his priority, and food security, his legacy.

Source: Philippine Star December 17, 2022 16:48 UTC