In NEDA’s response to the 46th ASM Resolutions, NEDA Secretary and Academician Arsenio M. Balisacan emphasized that the government—through laws, regulations, and strategic policies and programs—must create an enabling environment and implement responsive policy measures that promote food security.

“Under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, food security is characterized not just by its availability but by the equally important dimensions of accessibility, affordability, and impact on the health and well-being of our citizenry,” he said.

He highlighted the urgency of addressing challenges in the country’s food system, particularly food inflation, which poses a significant threat to food security and hampers the country’s poverty reduction efforts.

The government’s chief economic planner outlined strategies, including infrastructure and investment-related policies and frameworks, aimed at optimizing the management and utilization of land and water resources to support sustainable food production.

“Modernizing our infrastructure can significantly reduce post-harvest losses while reducing our carbon footprint and encourage product diversification into higher-value-added crops and alternative food staples, as outlined in the Resolutions,” Balisacan added.

He also underscored the importance of advancing research and development in the food sector to ensure the availability of adequate and safe-to-consume food commodities. He advocated for the establishment of innovation governance mechanisms to empower and incentivize innovation actors to generate, deploy, scale up, and promote the diffusion of game-changing technologies that can revolutionize the country’s food supply chains.

In line with the Resolutions, Balisacan highlighted the potential of digital technologies, such as advanced monitoring tools for domestic production, in maintaining affordable and accessible food prices. He also suggested leveraging the Digital National ID to efficiently target feeding programs to the most vulnerable, ensuring maximum impact for interventions.

The 46th ASM Resolutions urged NEDA to prioritize important goals such as equity, consumer health, and environmental conservation in the national socioeconomic development plans, in addition to focusing on productivity, global competitiveness, and higher incomes for farmers and fishers.

To conclude NEDA’s response, Balisacan affirmed NEDA’s dedication to fostering innovation and collaboration toward ensuring a food-secure Philippines.

[Related: Toward a Food-Secure Philippines and a Stronger Agricultural Sector]

The ASM serves as a platform for leaders and experts from the government, the academe, and other stakeholders in the field of scientific and policy research to formulate policy recommendations, which are then submitted to the government and the private sector for consideration and appropriate action.