MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public on Tuesday the country’s food production remains sufficient, particularly prime agricultural products such as rice, vegetables, chicken, and fish.

In a virtual presser, DA Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan said record-breaking harvest productions are monitored, securing three-month long buffer stock.

“During this first quarter’s end, we have recorded 90 days to last buffer stock, in the second quarter, of course, our outlook with the other imports that will be arriving, we will have another 90 days, our latest in quarter 3 where we are preparing for the wet season, we have 60 days and, we will be ending this year with 87 or three months inventory,” he said in a mixed of Filipino and English.

Likewise, low-land level vegetables or pinakbet vegetables are now 150 percent sufficient while highland vegetables reached a 158 percent sufficiency level.

Cayanan also noted that demand for vegetables and fish might increase during this Lenten season.

“Actually, in fasting of course we will see that our consumption of pork will decrease, we know that we are consuming more fish now, definitely vegetables,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cayanan said they have been pleading to exempt aid subsidies for farmers and fisherfolk from the spending ban of the Commission on Elections.

“If the intent is for it not to be politicized, then the benefits intended for farmers, in particular, should not be sacrificed, and the people, in general,” he said.

He added partisan actions should be definitely waived, but not at the expense of the farmers. (PNA)

SOURCE: https://www.pna.gov.ph/