Last July, a shortage of chicken and eggs was reported. This August, lack of sugar supply is now in the news.
An increase in the prices of these and other items has been approved, with consumers now substituting less-expensive items for those in short supply or thousands of families are now eating just one, instead of three meals per day!
One wonders what the Department of Agriculture was busy about during the Duterte administration. Why were there no safety nets or measure to ensure food security and supply, especially of basic items? Why are there now problems with supply of eggs, chicken, and sugar for example?
Had the DA been seriously updating their database about national/local production of agricultural items, existing production data, available supply, expected production across various time intervals, product suppliers, distribution networks, pricing, and more, then shortages would have earlier been anticipated and addressed.
Take the case of DA data on sugar. There are conflicting versions whether local sugar supply is short or adequate for now and for the coming months.
Does the DA have time-series data on sugar production and supply locally and nationally? As this is their mandate, DA should have such data and more in their database!
Is the DA database also publicly accessible?
As a policy, publicly-accessible evidence and data should be required of all government agencies for the information of all the citizens and for appropriate response and policy guidance.
Then, it will be easy, at any time, for government and anyone else to check data if indeed there is or there will be shortage or not of sugar and other food commodities.
The DA database can also guide policy about how to respond to any food production and supply issue.
Hopefully, the DA database also shows the pattern of distribution and consumption of basic commodities, including sugar?
If there is ample sugar supply, where will the supply come from? Until when will the present supply last? Can local supply be sufficient, until when, to meet public demand?
Officials can be guided, by data, whether there is in fact sugar shortage or not and decide whether to rally and support local sugar producers and suppliers or whether to import sugar.
Often, even without data and evidence, the easy knee-jerk reaction is to import to the detriment of local producers and suppliers. Well-researched data can also unravel unauthorized networks of smugglers and distributors.
As a clear example, in the midst of the so-called sugar shortage, authorities have just discovered warehouses filled with sacks upon sacks of sugar (reports range from 20,000 to 40,000 sacks) in Bulacan and Pampanga. Were these warehouses registered or not and in the DA database for legitimate sugar-related stakeholders?
Another August 19 news reported P1B smuggled rice unloaded in Iloilo!
Who has the data about food commodity smugglers and their routes and network of entry and distribution? DA should have such data, along with other government agencies such as Bureau of Customs, among others!
The problem of food commodities is not just supply, whether sufficient or not, that affects prices which consumers end up paying for. Production must also be viewed along with well-documented data about authorized routes and networks of distribution and consumption.
Having a qualified, hands-on DA Secretary is an urgent priority now!
Marcos Jr. has to designate a full-time DA secretary immediately who can address the many recent issues needing urgent, well-informed responses.
The DA secretary should be chosen from among those who have specialized knowledge and experience with agricultural issues confronting agricultural stakeholders, especially including the millions of farmer-producers, fisherfolks, and those in the forest.
And may the new DA secretary be a sustainable agriculture advocate, one who is truly protective of our people, communities, and Mother Earth.