Neda says gov’t focusing on improving food security in PH

Sec. Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) FILE PHOTO / Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — The government has diverted its focus on improving food security while working on reducing the price of rice, said National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Thursday.

Baslican made the pronouncement when asked if the government is still confident that it can achieve its plans to reduce the price of rice to P20.

The Neda secretary, however, responded indirectly, stating that the government is currently focusing more on improving food security.

“Our thrust is to continue improving food security and iyon tatlong dimension iyon: the access – access to food, and the affordability of food, and the availability of food in broad terms. So, hindi lang iyong price … [it] may be there but it’s not available everywhere in the country – so, that’s not how we proceed,” said Balisacan.

(Our thrust is to continue improving food security and those are three dimensions: the access – access to food, and the affordability of food, and the availability of food in broad terms. So, it’s not just that price… it may be there but it’s not available everywhere in the country – so, that’s not how we proceed.)

“So, I would rather focus on that objective rather than just focusing on the price,” he added.

According to Balisacan, the retail price of rice—currently hovering around P50—is affected by several factors “not completely” in the control of the government, particularly, world prices and effects of calamities.

He also mentioned the current exchange rate with pesos and dollar, which he said would also impact the prices of rice, along with other goods.

READ: PH makes headway in food security

“We are focused on reducing prices as to where, how far that will go. From my view is something that we have to be a little bit more careful [about],” said Balisacan.

It was last Wednesday, Nov. 20,  when the Philippine peso sank to its lowest level in over two years at P58.9:$1.