Farmers, civil society raise alarm on spending items for P5B farmers subsidy

April 4, 2008

Farmers and civil society groups urge Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to ensure that the infusion of additional P5B farmers subsidy are truly used to increase the farmers’ profitability and viability to pursue rice farming and not to ensure profits of seed companies through the seed support subsidy program as the secretary has announced earlier.

“We are alarmed by the recent announcement of the DA on spending the said amount to beef up the national seeds support program as this would lead to laying all our stakes on the much-hyped hybrid rice program, without giving due consideration to other more important investments, such as irrigation, post-harvest facilities, credit support to farmers and crop insurance system.  Crop insurance seems to be totally out of the menu but it should likewise be given prime importance as rice farming viability is very much dependent on the vagaries of the weather,” said Jessica Reyes-Cantos, Lead Convenor of the Rice Watch and Action Network (R1).

Cantos said the government is now spending for rice importation almost as much as the amount that should have been spent for irrigation, post-harvest facilities and increase in yield to achieve self-sufficiency in 2009, if only it paid attention to its own rice agency.

In a study done in 2004 by Flordeliza H. Bordey of the  Philippine Rice Research Institute, 109% self-sufficiency rate can be achieved in 2009 if the government will invest in P59 B worth of irrigation, post-harvest facilities and support to increase yield. However, the government is spending P58.7 B for rice importation to avert a rice shortage for this year alone.

“People’s money should be spent for what it’s worth and the government should learn its lesson of relying on imports to feed the people of its staple. The global supply of rice should never be given much importance as a source of local food needs, especially rice which is turning out to be the most important commodity, second to fuel,” said Jimmy Tadeo, Chairperson of the National Rice Farmers Council.

Price monitoring report of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics shows that on March 1, the prices of every kilo of well-milled and regular-milled rice are P27.00 and P25.00, respectively. As of April 1 or a month later, the prices of per kilo of the well-milled rice increased to P32.00 and regular milled rice to P30.00.

Trinidad Domingo, Chairperson of the Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK) and a rice farmer from Nueva Ecija also urges the farmers to report possible anomalies in the distribution of rice stocks in the warehouses and storage areas of the NFA and the private traders in the provinces.

“The farmers know the modus operandi of some NFA officials and private traders. Report the anomalies to the media if they do not trust their own police force or local agriculture officials as unbiased for these unscrupulous practices,” said Domingo.

The farmers and civil society groups also urge the government to refrain from using the ongoing food summit as another face-saving measure. “They should reveal to the people the real score on the shortage. Nothing should hide the fact that this administration has not done anything strategic to improve the rice sector as well as the lives of small rice farmers and they should be made to face the consequences,” said Cantos.

Next PR | Previous PR | Back to Press Releases Page