World Food Day: Government vows affordable food

MANILA, Philippines — The government expressed optimism that affordable and nutritious food would become accessible in the Philippines as nations observed World Food Day yesterday, an annual event that sheds light on the plight of people who cannot afford a healthy diet.

“On World Food Day 2022, the Office of the Press Secretary expresses support for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s goal towards a safe, nutritious and affordable food for everyone,” the Office of Press Secretary tweeted in Filipino.

“Through our united support for our farmers and fisherfolk and by taking care of the environment that serves as the source of our food, we can surely succeed,” it added.

The celebration of World Food Day every Oct. 16 is led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to address hunger.

The UN Environment Program noted that this year’s event is marked by multiple global challenges affecting global food security such as the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, climate change, rising prices and international tensions.

In a statement, the FAO said as much as 828 million people faced hunger worldwide in 2021 while some 3.1 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet.

“In the face of a looming global food crisis, we need to harness the power of solidarity and collective momentum to build a better future where everyone has regular access to enough nutritious food,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said in a recent address.

In the Philippines, Marcos, who is also the agriculture secretary, has vowed to prioritize food security by providing adequate support to the farming and fisheries sector.

Despite the rising fuel prices and the economic challenges caused by the pandemic, Marcos recently expressed confidence that the Philippines could become a leading global and regional agricultural resource hub.

“The strengthening of all our services that we give to our people in terms of food production, in terms of food supply, and our efforts to keep all our food products, all our agricultural commodities at a price that ordinary citizens can afford,” the President said in a speech delivered last Oct. 6.

“With our energies and resources combined, I am confident that we will not only achieve our goal of feeding the Filipino people, but also achieve our dream of making the Philippines a leading agricultural resource hub in the region and the world. Let us not forget our goal for our countrymen. I wish no more Filipino will go hungry,” he added.

Marcos has said his administration has provided farm inputs, expanded irrigation projects, established rolling stores, and created food logistics hubs and agri-trading centers to improve the agriculture sector.