Farmers decry low unmilled rice farm-gate prices
Published on: February 21, 2022.
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The farm-gate prices for palay or unmilled rice in various provinces currently ranges between P12 a kilo and P17.20 a kilo, according to various groups—levels which, farmers have complained, are too low for them to eke out a decent income.
Data provided by the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, rice watch group Bantay Bigas and the Anakpawis partylist group showed the lowest prevailing price of unmilled rice was in Camarines Norte and Iloilo at P12 a kilo recorded from Feb. 13 to 17.
The farm-gate prices for palay or unmilled rice in various provinces currently ranges between P12 a kilo and P17.20 a kilo, according to various groups—levels which, farmers have complained, are too low for them to eke out a decent income.
Data provided by the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, rice watch group Bantay Bigas and the Anakpawis partylist group showed the lowest prevailing price of unmilled rice was in Camarines Norte and Iloilo at P12 a kilo recorded from Feb. 13 to 17.ADVERTISEMENT
The highest farm-gate price of unmilled rice was P17 to P17.20 a kilo in Leyte, Albay, Tarlac, Pangasinan and Pampanga.
In Capiz and Misamis Oriental, palay was sold at P12 a kilo during the period. On the other hand, unmilled rice was sold for P14 to P15 a kilo in Negros Occidental, Palawan, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro, South Cotabato, Isabela and Camarines Sur.
Cathy Estavillo, secretary general of Amihan and Anakpawis, said farmers are incurring substantial losses at current prices.
“Luging-lugi na iyon kasi dahil dito sa tuloy-tuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng mga farm inputs, lalong lalo na iyong pagtaas ng abono … halos weekly pagtaas ng langis (Farmers have sustained losses due to successive increases in farm inputs and fuel costs),” said Estavillo in a phone interview with the Inquirer.
Expensive inputs
Data from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority shows the retail price of prilled urea averaged P2,499.04 per 50-kilo bag based on prices from Feb. 7 to 11, significantly higher than P1,060.77 per 50-kilo bag a year ago.
Also, the average price of granular urea surged to P2,535.39 per 50-kilo bag from P1,015.18 per 50-kilo bag.
Since the beginning of 2020, pump prices have been increasing steadily, with the cumulative net increase exceeding P10 per liter.
Groups claimed that, since the Rice Tariffication Law was signed into law, farmers have not been able to sell their produce for at least P20 a kilo, which Estavillo said was the ideal farm-gate price for farmers to take home a decent amount of income.
“As the harvest season continues, rice farmers are forced to sell their product at a very low price due to the dictate of monopoly private traders who traditionally use the flooding of imported rice as leverage, on top of the structural weakness of absence of postharvest facilities in the national rice sector, and the decoupling of the National Food Authority which procurement price serves as regulatory measure brought about by the law,” said Estavillo in a statement.
Source: https://business.inquirer.net/341427/farmers-decry-low-unmilled-rice-farm-gate-prices
