The country joins the international community in observing World Food Day today, less than a week after pollster Social Weather Stations released the results of its third quarter survey showing an increase in self-rated hunger. The SWS poll, taken from Sept. 15 to 23, showed that approximately 3.1 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.
The 13.3 percent self-rated hunger is the highest recorded since the 15.9 percent in December last year. It can be attributed to the shortage of state-subsidized rice and the surge in consumer prices particularly of food items since the start of the year when hefty excise taxes were slapped on fuel products. The government has stood firm on keeping the fuel tax, relenting only in suspending its increase scheduled in January. Economic analysts forecast higher inflation during the Christmas season, and self-rated hunger is unlikely to ease in the fourth quarter.
As a short-term response, the government is easing restrictions on the importation of basic food items including rice, fish, meat and certain vegetables. Flooding the market with imports can bring down prices, but the government must also balance this with the need to protect local food producers, especially those belonging to marginalized sectors. Some of the country’s poorest are farmers and fisherfolk, and they are the ones who suffer involuntary hunger.
World Food Day marks the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organization. This year’s observance reminds governments about the objective of attaining zero hunger worldwide by 2030. This can be an ambitious objective for the poorest countries, but it shouldn’t prove to be an impossible goal for middle-income economies like the Philippines.
Flooding the country with imports can only be a short-term palliative. There are best practices available that the country can adopt for boosting local production and ensuring long-term national food security. A country must be able to produce enough food for its own people. This is the best answer to involuntary hunger.