Food poverty was a major talking point at the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) by Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. last July 22. He outlined various state initiatives addressing the food insecurity gripping the country.
According to a United Nations report on the state of food security and nutrition, nearly 51 million Filipinos faced moderate to severe food insecurity between 2020 and 2022. This alarming situation is further underscored by the country ranking 66th out of 125 countries in the 2023 Global Hunger Index.
“It is a given fact that the Philippines at this particular point in time is moderately food insecure,” said Atty. Gilberto F. Lauengco, former Special Assistant to the Administrator of the National Food Authority, in an interview. He explained that food security encompasses the availability and access to nutritious and sufficient food for the population, broken down into aspects of access, volume, and sustainability.
Lauengco elaborated on the multifaceted challenges the nation faces in achieving food security. “There are many issues regarding our ability to provide food access and to sustain that access to the majority of our population—hence there is a level of food insecurity. This can be attributed to many factors, such as societal structure, population, and vested interests,” he stated. He also pointed out that economic instability, climate change, and the lingering impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic are exacerbating the problem.
One of the critical factors Lauengco mentioned was the connection between access and production, emphasizing the importance of storage facilities in fixing the food security supply chain.
“We are able to produce sufficiently in some areas. But the problem is we have to store them,” he said, noting the onion crisis of late 2022 to early 2023 when the price of the vegetable rocketed to P700 per kilo. There were sufficient production sites in the north, but the problem was where to put them in cold storage before transport to the markets.
The onion crisis serves as a stark reminder of the logistical hurdles that must be overcome to ensure food security. Despite adequate production, the lack of proper storage facilities has led to significant wastage and skyrocketing prices, highlighting the need for robust post-harvest systems.
Looking forward, Lauengco sees that the next steps in addressing food security would be strengthening post-harvest and storage capacities. He notes newer, modular technologies as potential solutions. He explained that enhanced logistics follow with the use of large vehicles on improved roadways and logistical arteries, or even further down the line, the use of rails and cargo trains to transfer foodstuffs from production to consumption areas.
“It’s not something we can probably solve in at least my lifetime. But it’s something we can move forward to—at the very least lessen the impact on the poorest of the poor,” he said, underscoring the long-term commitment required to tackle food insecurity and the need for continuous, concerted efforts to build a more resilient, and food-secure Philippines.
