Food shortage in the Philippines

Food shortage usually happens when food supplies within an area do not provide the energy and nutrients needed by that area's population. Food shortage is a problem created by production. If a certain country does not produce enough of a certain product, of course there will be shortage. In the Philippines, a lot of people are hoarding rice, hoping to get more income than usual. This is due to fact that food shortage can be predicted. Farmers here in the Philippines just get enough money for their daily survival. If you think carefully, you will realize that farmers here can't produce much if the prices of raw materials and equipments needed to make rice have gone up. If they do, it will be like committing suicide. Why would someone make something although he knows that he cannot profit from it? Farmers sell rice at a very low price. Only wholesale and retail merchants will benefit in this. They can sell it twice or thrice the price. But it is like a chain reaction. If farmers don't make rice, rice merchants will be out of business. You cannot easily say that if there's no rice you will just eat corn. Corn is produced with raw materials, same with rice. If a producer cannot buy or maintain the equipments used in producing a certain product, there is big chance that he will not make that product anymore.

The government should just give money farmers since they are not gaining profit right now due to the sudden price increase of raw materials. The government can do this if they manage the taxes right. It would be better if the government will decrease the salaries of government officials, especially those with high ranks. I believe if Philippine government is not corrupt, Philippines would be a rich country and food shortage would not exist.