Food Sufficient Philippines: A Dream We Can Achieve, If…

Food Sufficient Philippines: A Dream We Can Achieve, If…
(3rd of 5-Parts)
By Emmanuel F. Piñol, PhD
(On March 8, I was invited to a Roundtable Discussion hosted by the SAMAHAN Political Affairs & Engagement Department of the Ateneo de Davao University to present inputs on the impact of Food Security to Philippine Democracy. I am sharing my presentation with the followers of this page in 5 parts.)
Even in the face of the political turmoil the country is going through now, our advocacy to advance Food Security Strategies through institutional reforms will continue.
Our Food Supply Chain from the farm gate to the tables of Filipino families is flawed and inefficient with so many tiers of traders and middlemen in between which jacks up prices of food commodities 10-fold.
There is a need for government to intervene but this idea has been frowned upon by Economists who embrace lais·sez-faire, which means the “abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market.”
But ours is an abnormal market system given the reality that we are a geographically fragmented country making the transport of food commodities from the islands to the urban difficult and expensive.
A HYBRID MARKET SYSTEM
Government must establish a parallel Farm-Market-Table supply system which would only be involved in the consolidation of supplies of at least five basic food commodities needed by Filipino families to be made available in food outlets in urban centers.
There are three major reforms needed to overhaul the system which include:
1. Digitalizing Farmers’ Database to include biometric identification of the farmer and members of his family, geo-tagged location of farm (or fishing ground) and product/commodity produced to ensure that all assistance, loans and support are availed of by legitimate and real farmers;
2. Providing an Easy Access Credit System where farmers with Digital Biometric IDs could access short-term loans with minimal interest rates;
3. Reactivation of National Food Authority’s Food Terminal Inc. to serve as products consolidation centers in the production areas and outlets of needed commodities in areas where the products are needed.
LINKING FARMERS & CONSUMERS
The FTI, operating as a corporate entity of government, could undertake the following:
1. Identify the most basic food items needed by the Filipino families which I believe should include: Rice, Fish, Meat (Chicken, Pork, Beef, Chevon), Sugar, Vegetables, especially Onion and Garlic, and Fruits which are vulnerable to hoarding and price manipulation;
2. Guided by the National Food Supply and Demand Map, the FTI will determine which area produces what commodity in excess of what it needs and which other areas would need these supplies to start the National Food Repositioning Program;
3. Since FTI is owned by NFA, it could utilize existing NFA Buying Stations all over the country to serve Food Consolidation Centers and equip these with easily-available and low-cost stand-alone cold storage boxes. These Food Consolidation Centers in the provinces could also serve as outlets of goods from other areas or agricultural supplies and inputs needed for production i.e. government-priced fertilizer, seeds, farm inputs;
4. To avoid excessive investments for logistics, FTI could engage the private sector and tap existing logistics companies, including shipping lines, equipped with reefer vans or freezers to move the goods from the Food Consolidation Centers to outlets in areas where these are needed. Government, however, must consider the procurement of at least two refrigerated vessels to collect food commodities from non-profitable routes (i.e. Tawitawi, Sulu, Basilan, Southern Palawan for fish) while delivering needed commodities to these areas (I.e. chicken, vegetables, fruits, sugar, oil and others);
5. Open Food Outlets complete with cold storage and chillers in the urban centers where consumers could buy fresh and low-priced local rice, fish, meat, vegetables, fruits including sugar. These People’s Food Malls could be established in the key urban centers of the country to stabilize food prices and protect consumers from hoarders and market manipulators;
6. Start an On-Line Marketing System where families in the urban areas could do virtual marketing by browsing the FTI People’s Food Malls websites to order specific food commodities without going through the rigors of traveling and actual marketing. At the same time, this program would provide jobs for delivery men in the urban areas.
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan#