With an El Niño looming and global conflicts driving up farm production costs, the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) will convene top government and industry leaders to discuss how the country can avert another crisis and keep prices stable.
The Food Security Forum, scheduled on July 23 at Frabelle Corporate Plaza in Makati City, will bring together Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. President Danilo Fausto, and Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. Board Member Caitlin Punzalan to examine the country’s readiness against mounting threats to food production.
The discussions come as fertilizer and fuel prices remain under pressure amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
At the same time, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration projects a 92-percent probability that El Niño will develop between June and August and last into early 2027.
The Department of Agriculture has already reconvened its El Niño Task Force to prepare for the expected dry spell after the farm sector suffered P57.78 billion in losses in 2024 from the combined effects of El Niño, successive typhoons, and animal diseases. The disasters pulled agricultural output down by 2.1 percent to P1.73 trillion.
‘Food security is at the heart of economic stability. Every disruption in food production eventually reaches Filipino households through higher prices and greater uncertainty.
Through this forum, EJAP seeks to convene government, industry, and the media to encourage evidence-based discussions and policy ideas that will help the country build a more resilient and sustainable food system,’ EJAP President Ted Cordero said.
The forum will review lessons from the 2023-2024 El Niño episode, assess preparations for the expected dry spell, and discuss measures to strengthen the country’s long-term food security-one of the Marcos administration’s key priorities.
It is part of the organization’s continuing series of policy discussions for deeper public understanding of major economic issues and the challenges shaping the country’s growth outlook.