Farmers sow more than they can reap

James Danio

September 30, 2023

Layout by Andrea Apit/Overturn

Local rice farmers grapple with mounting hardships amidst adverse climate and economic challenges.

Luisito De Leon, a farmer for more than four decades already expresses his dismay for not getting enough outcome from his tiring job of being a farmer, as for him, their hardships are not treated by the Philippine government as its burden.

De Leon’s late father is the one who introduced him to farming as a way to feed mouths and make ends meet for his family, but the drastic change in the industry triggers a doubt within him about whether the kind of job that he is pursuing will still be enough to support him.

High investment costs of farming, irrigation problems, a decline in crop yields, typhoons during rainy seasons, farmland conversion, and missing government aids are some of the factors that De Leon is complaining about, as those forces farmers like him to just keep the harvest for their family rather than sell it with a high probability of getting shortchanged, especially with the current limitations of the rice price cap under Executive Order No. 39 started on September 5, 2023, which has a direct negative impact even for the small rice retailers.

Rice farming is the Philippines' cornerstone, providing sustenance to the nation’s population. However, rice farmers are facing an unprecedented crisis as they contend with a barrage of challenges that have converged to cast a shadow of uncertainty over the country’s vital rice farming industry.

Declining crop yields

Based on the United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) statement, the decline of fertilizer imports beginning in April to July 2022, when it is most needed for crop growth, was caused by a price increase that some farmers were unable to bear. As a result, a lot of local farmers were hesitant to gamble, especially those who owned smaller lands.

This resonated with De Leon’s statement that, from more or less Php 1,000 for fertilizer, the price spiked up to more than Php 2,000, causing the higher cost of rice production. By the end of 2022, the USDA-FAS also reported that milled rice production in the country flatted at 11.98 million metric tons, far from the predicted 12.41 million MT.

In other words, farmers are spending more money than they earn.

Extreme weather events

The Philippines is no stranger to typhoons, floods, and droughts, but the frequency and intensity of these events have been on the rise. The extreme weather conditions disrupt planting and harvesting seasons, causing extensive crop losses and compounding the challenges faced by rice farmers.

Back in September 2022, typhoon ‘Karding’ laid waste in some parts of the country, shredding the previous 4.8 million hectares (ha) into 4.7 million, USDA-FAS added in the report.

De Leon emphasized the difficulty of farming during the rainy season and that they only depend on the summer, when the harvest is plentiful; however, the sustainable source of irrigation still worries them.

Economic Struggles

Rising production costs, competition against imports, and fluctuating market prices are just some of the factors that strangle rice farmers when the harvest season is near its peak.

According to spokesperson Cathy Estavillo in an exclusive video posted on the official website of Bantay Bigas, what the farmers worry about is that they know that as the harvest season reaches its heights, the price of palay marks down. In addition, the farmers only see the rice price cap as another reason for retailers to bargain their crops at tight prices, which they don’t see as their fault, for they were also left with no choice.

Furthermore, the competition against imported rice continuously rises despite the Rice Tariffication Law that is supposed to protect the local farmers' harvest. By collecting a 35% tariff for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) for the next six years from 2019, the government is supposed to fund P10 billion to improve local farming. In spite of this, the positive outcome still seems to be a mystery after almost 4 years and is exactly the opposite as the market price continues to fluctuate.

Insufficient government aid

Credit opportunities, machinery enhancement, subsidies, price support, crop insurance, disaster relief, and protection from farmland conversions are only a few things that the administration fails to assist farmers in the Philippines.

In relation to this, RCEF, a program that is intended to help local farmers, is nowhere near its primary goals, even after four years of collecting billions. The machinery where the Php 5 billion was allocated is rarely seen on farmlands, and farmers still rely on hard work.

Moreover, the rice price cap is just a temporary resolution that the Marcos Jr. administration approved, which leaves the local rice farmers out of the narrative, hence their grievance.

“Yung pangamba ng ating mga magsasaka na mabili na naman sa murang presyo, yung kanilang palay ay palaging naroroon, dahil di nila nakikita yung action ng gobyerno kung paano ito maresolba, yung patuloy na pagbaba ng presyo ng palay", Estavillo said.

A place to go

The diminishing hope for the farmers to improve their place in the Philippines’ agricultural economy is caused by many factors, but the negligence and lack of fundamental plans of the administration that promised them change became a factor to consider that dragged them to the bottom.

Without proper assistance, projects, and support from the government, the rice farming industry and the public will continue to struggle on their own, like what the narrative of Luisito De Leon is trying to imply.

The problem is, it's now a riddle for the growing population of a country that relies on rice so much: who would take the plow for the next generations to come?—OVERTURN