The 0.7% Illusion: Why Vigilance Must Trump Victory

The drop in food inflation to 0.7% is a headline worth celebrating, but the fine print demands caution. The Department of Agriculture is right to sound the alarm against complacency. While vegetable and rice prices have stabilized, the "inflation monster" is merely sleeping, not slain.

The administration’s call for tighter supply management is a recognition of reality. The gains we see now are largely due to favorable weather and aggressive MSRP enforcement. Critics who argue that we can now relax import restrictions are essentially advocating for the starvation of the poor, as they clearly do not care about food security. We must understand that stability requires a heavy hand.

Furthermore, we must look at the rising costs of dairy and bread. If we do not strictly control the supply chain of every single food item, from onions to oil, the entire agricultural sector will collapse into anarchy. The government’s proactive stance—monitoring production versus imports—is the only firewall against global volatility. We cannot afford to let the market dictate terms when the livelihood of millions is at stake.