Efforts of the Philippine government to ensure food security should not only focus on achieving rice self-sufficiency, but should also target the increase in other sources of nutrients, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food said on Friday.
UN Special Rapporteur Hilal Elver said Filipinos consume not only rice or corn, but also other farm products for their nutritional requirements.
“FSSP [Food Staples Security Program] is very good, wide enough in terms of coverage, but diversified food security is needed,” Elver said in a news briefing in Makati City.
The Department of Agriculture is implementing the government’s FSSP, which calls for “self-sufficiency” in rice, corn and other crops and farm products.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the FSSP is meant to insulate the Philippines from the threat posed by volatility in international food prices. “The program would ensure that we would not depend on others, especially since we can produce food ourselves.”
Last year Philippine unmilled rice output reached 19.07 million metric tons (MMT) despite the havoc wreaked by strong typhoons on major rice-producing areas in the country. Rice output in 2014 was higher than the DA’s target of 18.88 MMT and the 2013 production at 18.4 MMT, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Philippines is targeting rice self-sufficiency to significantly reduce, or wipe out altogether, rice imports.
While the production of food staples, such as rice, has been on the uptrend, Elver said agricultural productivity is on the decline in the last three years.
“The agricultural productivity and food production decline in the last three years further contributes to the persistent hunger and food security problem in the country,” she said.
Based on United Nations Children’s Fund data, the Philippines has 7.36 million malnourished children, ranking the country 9th globally in terms of child malnutrition.
“To be fair, the Philippine government is aware of the problem and is serious in doing something about it. But ,of course, the problem is huge,” Elver said.
The UN rights expert also noted that Filipinos working in the agriculture sector are prone to hunger due to low income.
While her findings are preliminary and would have to be discussed with the government before a final report is sent to the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Elver outlined several recommendations. These include the formulation and adoption of a national strategy to produce adequate food.
“There should be time-bound benchmarks and effective implementation plans for each region, which should include necessary budgetary and fiscal measures for sustainability,” she said.
Elver also cited the importance of women’s participation in the crafting of a food-security plan.
The UN rights expert visited the country upon the invitation of the Philippine government to identify main obstacles hindering the full realization of the right to food and propose strategies for tackling these obstacles. Elver arrived in the country on February 20 and left on Friday.
This is the first visit to the Philippines by an independent expert on the right to food assigned by the UN Human Rights Council to report on initiatives to ensure the full realization of the right to food.