Government to launch ‘Food Staples Sufficiency Program’
-A A +AThursday, June 28, 2012
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday the implementation of the "Food Staples Sufficiency Program" (FSSP) as part of its 114th anniversary celebration held at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWW) Convention Hall in Quezon City.
The FSSP will be formally launched on July 5 during the 2nd Agricultural Machinery Exposition or the "Makina-Saka 2012," which will take place at the World Trade Center in Pasay City with President Benigno S. Aquino III as guest of honor and speaker.
The FSSP has three major interventions, which include production-support, enhancing incentives and enabling mechanism, and managing food consumption.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said production support includes irrigation, quality seeds, post harvest facilities and other components.
Enhancing economic incentives and enabling mechanisms, on the other hand, focus on market reforms in palay procurement and rice distribution provision of affordable credit and also the expansion of crop insurance coverage.
Meanwhile, managing food consumption relates to the conservation of rice and reduction of post harvest losses and intensifies production of other agriculture products like banana, corn and cassava.
Alcala said the program's objective is: "Magkaroon ng sapat, ligtas at masustansyang pagkain ang pamilyang Pilipino."
DA Undersecretary for Operations Joel Rudinas and Assistant Secretary and National Rice Program Coordinator Dante Delima spearheaded the technical team in crafting the FSSP policy document.
Alcala said the main target of FSSP is to produce the domestic requirement by 2013.
The program also aims to strengthen national resiliency through the production of food staple that would minimize the impact of climate change.
"As of now, nagugustuhan naman po ng mamamayan ang mga programa natin sa agriluktura, at kung hindi man maibigay yung 100 percent, I'm sure ibinibigay naman po natin yung 75 to 80 percent ng makakaya natin," the DA chief said. (PNA)
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on June 29, 2012.
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