Shortage of flour, sardines feared

"PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday ordered an emergency purchase of equipment to produce flour substitute using local materials in a bid to stem the increase in flour prices and reduce the country’s dependence on imported flour.
In another directive, Mrs. Arroyo ordered a study on the granting of fuel subsidy for deep-sea fishermen and ensure a steady supply of fish for manufacturers of canned sardines.
The President called on the Science and Technology Department to buy equipment for processing cassava, squash or sweet potato into veggie flour.
The department’s Food Nutritional Research Institute has proven that flour can be derived from these local vegetables.
Bakery owners warned consumers of another round of price increase for pan de sal—a breakfast fare among many Filipinos—following a P40-P50 hike in the price per bag of flour.
The President allowed an emergency procurement because she wanted the mass production of veggie flour to start within two to three months’ time, said Secretary Cerge Remonde, chief of the Presidential Management Staff.
Quoting Secretary Estrella Alabastro, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the government is eyeing to produce enough veggie flour to replace 10-15 percent of imported flour.
On the fishermen’s plight, Dureza said several canneries face a shortage of raw materials because many of their suppliers have stopped operations as a result of high oil prices.
The government is considering granting them P5 subsidy per liter of oil as a short-term measure, Dureza said.
For the long term, they may have to shift to the use of boats powered by liquefied petroleum gas (cooking gas) or compressed natural gas, according to Dureza.
“If they stop their operation, there would be no fish supply [to canneries], and there would be no sardines for the masses, no job for the fishermen,” Dureza said.
Several members of the Philippine Deep Sea Fishing Association have stopped their operations since Monday. The association has 15 company members, with a total of 19 fishing vessels. Each vessel can catch as much as 60 tons a day. Most of them operate in Zamboanga, which account for 84 percent of canned sardines produced in the country. Two other canneries are based in Metro Manila."



I am relieved that President Arroyo has already made an action about the shortage of flour. At least we will be able to produce some percentage of the country's flour supply by our own using this "veggie flour". This veggie flour might be one solution to the flour price increase. There has been a lot of shortages lately and it is good to see that PGMA has already made actions for this one.
SOURCE:http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics2_aug6_2008