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NewsTranscript
00:00We have a food security emergency in the price of rice. We have with us the spokesperson of the Department of Agriculture, Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa. Good morning.
00:11Good morning Arnold. Good morning to all.
00:15How can the declared food security emergency of the DA help the voters?
00:22Yes Arnold, because the National Food Authority through the FDI will issue to local governments and government agencies, as well as to our fellow citizens, cheap rice.
00:37They will issue this at P33 and local governments and agencies can sell this at P35.
00:46So our fellow citizens will have an alternative, lower price of rice.
00:51What is the stock of NFA that we are talking about?
00:56The total stock of NFA is at 300,000 metric tons.
01:01Even though what will be issued during this period is at 150,000 metric tons.
01:08So that is the first program.
01:11Are there interested LGUs who will buy at P33 per kilo?
01:18The National Food Authority has issued an invitation to LGUs, particularly here in Metro Manila.
01:27There are those who responded.
01:29Yesterday and until now, the guidelines are being adjusted.
01:34It is possible that the next day, the rice will be issued by the NFA.
01:39So one of the reasons for this food security emergency is to give an opportunity to the NFA to prohibit the sale of rice, right?
01:53Yes. Under Republic Act 12078, NFA is prohibited to sell directly to families.
02:02Yes. So now they have the opportunity to buy rice directly from farmers.
02:08I'm worried that it might reach the market. Do we have a price?
02:12How much will we buy rice from local farmers?
02:17According to the NFA Council Resolution, NFA will buy rice at the price of P21 to P23 for dry and clean rice.
02:28This is a high price. For fresh rice, it will be P17 to P18 per kilo.
02:36For farmers, it is said that the process of buying from them is slow.
02:42Aside from the low price, is the price enough?
02:46Is the process of buying from them fast enough?
02:51Actually, NFA has made a lot of improvements in its serial procurement, especially in rice.
03:00It also has additional facilities. So it is a big improvement.
03:06The price is high compared to our local traders who buy rice at P21 to P23 per kilo.
03:15Asek Demesa, despite the export of rice to NFA, if there's a calamity, do we have enough supply?
03:25Our government and NFA are making sure of that because NFA's primary mandate is to buy rice and to have buffer stocking for calamities and disasters.
03:37In fact, the first thing that will be exported is 150,000 metric tons.
03:40The timing is good because in February, the season for dry season will start.
03:49That's why we need to export rice. Now, you will start buying rice.
03:54You have the first impact and there's a follow-up. So we don't have a problem when it comes to this.
04:00Yesterday, in my interview with Secretary Kiko Chu Laurel of the DA, he admitted that there's a price manipulation between traders and suppliers.
04:11Do you have a list of names that we can sue and punish?
04:17We are still investigating. In fact, there's a blacklist of BPI in the field of import.
04:30They are not allowed to issue sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance.
04:36Let's move to eggs. The DA said that your projection is that you will cut the supply of eggs in April.
04:41But the Philippine Egg Board Association said that your production of eggs is high this year.
04:48That's right, Egan. Actually, in these moments, we have a record of overproduction or oversupply of eggs.
04:56What the Secretary is worried about, like his official visit to America,
05:02where the highly pathogenic alien influence is high, their supply is really low and it's very expensive.
05:09So we have a proactive stance to avoid that kind of scenario.
05:15In the egg industry, there's a cycle where if there's an overproduction, they have a culling of their layers.
05:26Eventually, they experience a sudden drop in supply to become expensive.
05:31So we are trying to avoid that kind of cycle so that the supply of eggs will remain good and the price will not suddenly rise.
05:45We understand that the production is good. We're just being cautious in the next few days.
05:51Lastly, pork is very expensive. Maybe MSRP will also go to pork?
05:55Yes. It's under study now. After this rice, because we're just focused on rice,
06:04we can see that the MSRP of pork will go to pork.
06:08We can also say that the price of pork is wrong because it's very expensive.
06:12There's also a risk of bankruptcy.
06:14That's possible.
06:16Okay. Thank you very much.
06:18DIA spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Arnel Demesa. Take care.
06:21Thank you very much, Egan. Long live. Good morning.