‘Help fight food crisis; scrap subsidies, lower tariffs’

Rich countries can help solve the ongoing world food crisis by removing their own agriculture subsidies and lowering tariffs, Senator Edgardo Angara told the 16th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in New York.

In his speech, a copy of which was provided INQUIRER.net, the former agriculture secretary set as an example the Philippines, which he said is "now one of the most vulnerable countries in the global rice crisis."

Once a net exporter of agricultural products, the Philippines’ accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) slowed down exports and accelerated imports.