Manila, Jan. 18 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Saturday clarified that there is no rice supply shortage amid plans to declare a food security emergency.

"We just would like reiterate: There is no shortage in the supply of rice in the country," DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa stressed at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

He noted that Republic Act 12078, which amended the Rice Tariffication Law, cites two main grounds for the DA Secretary to declare a food security emergency: Shortage in supply and extraordinary increase in the price of rice.

"The first main basis, lack of supply, it does not exist because we have a lot of supply. So, the only basis is your extraordinary increase in price," De Mesa explained.

"We ...