00:00The Department of Agriculture will continue to work to ensure that buyers will be able to afford the prices of their goods.
00:07Meanwhile, the DA assured that the supply of food in the country is sufficient.
00:11Vel Custodio in Detail.
00:16The Department of Agriculture assured that the supply of food in the country is sufficient.
00:21This is the result of the Social Weather Station Survey
00:24where 27.2% of Filipinos experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months, explained the DA.
00:32I do not see that there is shortage of food.
00:36While definitely in some areas, you cannot discount that there is hunger because of...
00:41But I think that's more of an economic thing.
00:43It's not agriculture-related.
00:47Because we have almost most of everything, especially this March, April, May, June.
00:53It is also possible that one of the reasons for the SWS Survey result was the dry season last year.
00:59Well, if the study was made before, meaning last quarter of last year,
01:07of course, every year, last quarter, all prices are rising.
01:11But if the study is done today, we can see that the prices in the market are going down.
01:19In the Special Market Monitoring of the DA and the Department of Trade and Industry yesterday,
01:24it was found that the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities are going down,
01:28especially the 45 pesos of the maximum suggested retail price of 5% broken imported rice since yesterday,
01:36from the previous 49 pesos MSRP.
01:39Aside from this, the DA's programs continue to lower the prices in the market
01:44and ensure that there is enough and there is no wasted supply of food.
01:47This includes the Executive Program, the establishment of MSRP support,
01:52and the establishment of 99 cold storage facilities for vegetables, fruits, and high-value crops.
01:57While the Department of Social Welfare and Development's hunger-free program continues
02:02to provide benefits to more than 300,000 households or 1.5 million individuals
02:08through the distribution of 3,000 pesos food aid.
02:11These are all in line with the government's program to ensure food security.
02:17Vel Custodio, for Pambansang TV in the new Philippines.
