Arthur Yap’s food security plan

In a recent speech in Eastern Samar, President Gloria Arroyo talked about the goal of check-ing poverty and hunger, two of the most explosive problems of the country. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap wants to do his own part: Insure that farm producers get their returns while guaranteeing cheap food supply for the population.

Yap’s programs are geared towards raising farm yields and boosting farmers’ incomes. He has come up with a localized version of the food terminal market which insures food supply in Metro Manila. He calls it the barangay food terminal, BFT. This has been his idea since his first term at the Elliptical Road.

Consumers can buy quality goods at cheaper prices at the BFTs—about 12 percent cheaper than those sold in regular markets. They are complemented by bagsakan or drop-off centers where farmers can directly sell their produce. Yap has taken note of the complaint that prices of food have gone up because of so many layers of traders interfering with the distribution system.
As of October, 21 BFTs have been set up in Metro Manila and six in regions across Luzon and the Visayas. These BFTs are directly benefiting over 450,000 families. The DA is due to open nine more BFTs in Metro Manila this October-November period.

Yap explains that his food plan belongs to the government’s hunger mitigation program. The logic is that that if there are available food prices at low cost, hunger could be alleviated. DA will establish 27 BFTs in Metro Manila this year, and 48 more across the country.

In the regions, two are operational in Samar, and one each in Leyte, Antique, Biliran and Subic.
Nine of the bagsakan centers are operational in Metro Manila. The latest to be inaugurated by President Arroyo was at the Pritil Public Market in Manila on October 15.

Farmers can sell their produce at fairly good margins in these centers, while offering consumers cheaper but quality goods. The concept tries to marry the need for helping the needy and at the same time carrying out the workings of market forces. Kailangang kumita rin.

Under this project, accredited farm delivery vehicles with gross weights of 4,500 kilograms and above and loaded with perishable goods are exempted from the truck ban from North and South Luzon to Metro Manila via the North and South Luzon expressways.

The objective of the food lanes, on top of helping dealers of agricultural goods escape the “kotong” fees charged by unscrupulous cops, is to cut post- harvest losses and reduce trading layers. This is where the team of PNP Chief Avelino Razon comes in: to insure that the prices of food are not jacked up because of the extortion on the streets.

Consumers are expected to benefit from the food lane project in terms of lower post harvest losses that eat up to 22 percent of the retail costs of perishable farm goods and the removal of trading layers that cover up to 18 percent of food retail prices.

This only refers to the distribution part. On the production part, Yap has a program of irrigation and providing of inputs which increases production. That is another story.

Climate change to hit RP

Bangladesh, India and China are projecting massive rice shortages in the next few years. This could also mean that the Philippines which, from time to time, imports this staple, could have a hard time procuring rice in the world market if it does not act with dispatch.
Because extreme climate change has triggered floods, droughts and heavy snowfall, Secretary Yap says that countries that used to have no problems producing wheat, corn and rice are now faced with spiraling food prices and shortages.

In China, food price inflation has reached 18 percent, while Indonesia and Pakistan have to cope with a 18-percent hike in food costs. Wheat has doubled in price, corn is almost 50 percent higher than a year ago and rice is now 20% more expensive. The Food and Agriculture Organization is worried about the quantity of our food reserves.

Yemen, India , and Mexico may soon have to cope with food riots. In Argentina the improbable has happened—tomatoes became more expensive than meat during the last presidential campaign period.

The Philippines is lucky because it has survived the dry spell and even surpassed its farm growth targets when it was hit by sudden climate change. In Australia, the drought cut predictions for winter harvests by nearly 40 percent, which its Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics said was the worst in more than a decade.

The UN World Food Programme reports that 57 countries, including 29 in Africa, 19 in Asia, and nine in Latin America have been hit by floods. We all remember, of course, supertyphoons “Milenyo” and “Reming” which pulled down agriculture’s growth to below 4 percent in 2006. That should not happen again.

This Will never happen if aquino did not disrupted marcos' plans for the country, she completely distroyed our country's pride economical reign through asia, before; we were distributing rice all over the middle east and asia, now we are making imports from other countries which cause our country such a poor nation like india, this is such a cripple country lots of gamblers in positions and corrupt leaders.

kawawa taombayan.