Hunger incidence to worsen

Rising prices of sugar and tilapia could worsen the hunger incidence in the country, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on Thursday.

According to Dennis Arroyo, NEDA’s director for national planning and policy staff, costlier sugar, rice, tilapia (Saint Peter’s fish) and galunggong (round scad) have stronger correlation with hunger.

He said that from December 2008 to December 2009, the price of refined sugar rose 24 percent and galunggong, 16 percent.

As of January 23, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that the prices of refined sugar in Metro Manila was P52 from P48 a kilo.

“It [increase in prices] can put pressure on hunger,” Arroyo said of the possible rise of hunger incidence as a result of costlier sugar, rice, tilapia and galunggong.

Galunggong was the indicator of the Aquino administration (1986 to 1992) for the country’s economic suffering. It was considered as the poor man’s fish because of affordability.

Arroyo noted that the price of tilapia ranges from P80 to P100 a kilo, while the lowest price for galunggong is about P120 a kilo.

“Tilapia has become mainstream in the diet of the poor. It has taken the place of galunggong,” he said.

Arroyo explained that prices of tilapia could be lower than those of galunggong because the country harvests more tilapia than galunggong.

According to him, other variables that matter to the poor are sardines, eggs, chicken, liquefied petroleum gas, diesel and gasoline.

The Fourth Quarter 2009 Social Weather Stations survey, conducted from December 5 to 10, 2009, showed that the proportion of families experiencing involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months reached a new record-high of 24 percent, or an estimated 4.4 million households.

The latest hunger rate surpassed the previous record-high incidence of 23.7 percent in December 2008.

The measure of hunger refers to involuntary suffering because the respondents answer a survey question that specifies hunger for lack of anything to eat, SWS said.

Government data showed that poverty incidence, as a proportion of poor families, increased from 24.4 percent in 2004 to 26.9 percent in 2006.

The magnitude of poor families also increased by about 655,000, from 4.023 million to 4.677 million families. –DARWIN G. AMOJELAR Senior Reporter, Manila Times