Measures to tame inflation

The Economic Development Cluster (EDC) of the Duterte Cabinet expects “moderate” inflation in the months ahead following the implementation of a slew of measures to help tame the rise in commodity prices.

These measures are the following:

*On fish, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has committed to replicating the issuance of certificates of necessity to allow imports to be distributed in the wet markets in Metro Manila and to the other markets of the country;

*On rice supply issues, 4.6 million sacks of rice available in the warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA) will be immediately released to the market across the country

* The economic managers have agreed to recommend to the President to issue a directive that will further simplify and streamline the licensing procedures for rice imports of the NFA

*The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), NFA, Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and farmer groups will form a monitoring team to watch over the transport of rice from ports to NFA warehouses and retail outlets;

*On chicken, the DA and DTI will convene poultry producers and set up public markets where producers can sell directly to the end customer. The DA will provide cold storage facilities for this purpose;

*The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) will open the importation of sugar to direct users to moderate costs for consumers; and

*The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will prioritize the release of essential food items in the ports. /