MANILA, Philippines — The impact of a looming food crisis in the country will be felt the most by October to December, the Department of Agriculture (DA) warned Thursday.
DA Secretary William Dar earlier said that there is a looming food crisis in the country due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia conflict which triggered the rise in oil prices.
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In a Laging Handa public briefing, Dar was asked if the food crisis is being felt now.
“We will feel more of that [in the] the last quarter of the year, that’s when you can feel most of the impact,” he responded.
Dar pointed out that increasing local food production is key to addressing the impending crisis.
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“Inaprubahan ng ating mahal na Pangulo ‘yung (Our President approved the) Plant, Plant, Plant Program Part 2… Itong (This) Plant, Plant, Plant Program Part 2 is – the major objective is to increase local food production for major commodities that we have in the country,” he said.
As Russia and Ukraine’s war disrupted global supply chains, restaurants in the country lamented about struggling to source supply and meet consumers’ demand.
Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said increasing food and energy prices could kill millions of people, noting that food shortages are the next global health crisis.