A NATIONAL Food Security Summit has been scheduled for April 28-29, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
According to a special order signed March 23, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said the two-day food security summit will tackle, among others, the pork shortage resulting from the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak.
Mr. Dar said the DA will present the actions it has taken to address broader issues in the agriculture sector.
It created an Advisory Committee, National Steering Committee, and various subcommittees to oversee the conduct of the summit, the DA said in the special order.
In February, the President’s Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said Malacañang is calling for a food security summit after surging pork prices needed to be capped following herd losses arising from the spread of ASF.
Mr. Roque said the summit’s deliverables include a national food security plan ensuring the uninterupted flow of agricultural commodities and stable food prices.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Executive Order No. 124 on Feb. 1, implementing price controls on pork and chicken products.
The EO, which took effect on Feb. 8 and will remain effective until April 8, capped the prices of pork shoulder (kasim) at P270 per kilogram, pork belly (liempo) at P300 per kilogram, and whole chicken at P160 per kilogram.
According to the DA’s price monitoring report Friday, the price of kasim ranged from P310 to P360 per kilogram, while liempo was at P340-P380. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave