SHOULD WE HAVE A REAL FOOD CZAR?

I know that the Secretary of Agriculture is supposed to be the food czar, but he certainly does not have authority over food importation, except in the case of rice maybe. He also does not have authority over food distribution, a function that apparently belongs to the DTI. To put it in another way, who is ultimately accountable if there are food shortages in the country. If it is neither the DA nor the DTI, then who is? I believe that the supply chain of food in this country and in any country for that matter should include not only production, but also distribution and consumption, with importation in between. Some might say that I am asking too much, but look at what has happened to us. We are importing most of our milk and flour, and we are even importing our beef. To go straight to my point, I believe that there should be a real food czar that has a staff function that reports directly to the President. He or she should have cabinet rank, and he or she should have collegial relationships with the secretaries of the DA and the DTI, these two having a line function. In a manner of speaking, the Executive Secretary is the de facto COO of the Executive Branch, and he reports directly to the President, who is in effect the de facto CEO. In that sense, the COO has direct authority over the secretaries of the DA and DTI, when it comes to food security. While this system could work already, it could be improved if there is a staff function connecting the line functions. IKE SENERES/01-02-2024