Protect The Farmers

AMPLIFY THEIR VOICES

by: Jovss Villanueva

The El Niño last 2018 was a major factor in the declining output of the farming sector. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) declared that El Niño was about to make its presence in the country after monitoring the unusually warm sea temperatures on the surface of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. However, even before the country could regain what had been lost due to the weak El Nino last year, more threats were expected this year due to several storms anticipated to enter the country.
Last September, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto directed the Department of Agriculture to probe the major drop in the price of palay (unhusked rice). It was presumed that the outpouring of imported rice and the havoc brought by storms to the rice fields derail the local harvests. When destroyed by storms, not only it leads to poor quality rice but it heightens the chances of traders to decide not to buy it at all which leads farmers to sell their crops to private traders for a devastating price of P12-13 a kilo, a disastrous price that is unequal for their labour, considering that they would at least sell them to P17 a kilo to recover production costs. This consideration extends to how we should protect the production of our crops, particularly rice production against the presence of calamities.
Farmers continue to face various challenges and it should never be forgotten how our farmers suffered from violence and armed threats throughout history. Who would ever forget the 1997 Mendiola Massacre, The Hacienda Luisita Massacre in 2004, and the Kidapawan Protests in 2016? These are dreadful years of our farmers who suffered from armed attacks only because they want to seek change and be able to share their sentiments. These horrifying events that took place take us into a realization to demand protection for our farmers who are the victims of these challenges.
It is a persistent fact that Filipinos who produced the food for their country are also the same impoverished people, and that agriculture, which is a vital sector for the well-being of the people also belongs to the most neglected venue of the government. It is undeniable that our farmers have suffered a long history of injustices. It is either they are forced to till their land (some they do not own), sell their produced crops for a price unequal to their labour, or carry the whole sector for their long sun-exposed and aching backs just to produce food for a country with leaders who more often than not fails to listen to them properly. These people are among the victims of inadequate policy, insufficient support, and faulty protection that until now still strive to sacrifice for the sake of our food security.
According to the survey of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in 2017, the mean age of the Filipino farmer is 60 years old- the same age that a typical worker, whether a government or private employee, is already classified as a senior citizen and is almost a retiree by law. It is unfortunate to think that young people today do not make much of an interest in agriculture especially rice farming, which threatens the industry and making it unstable because without adequate farmers in the future, how can we prioritize our food security for a rice-eating nation like ours?
However, it is also peculiar how we always brand ourselves as an “agricultural country” when we are widely dependent on imports for produce. Ironically, those who till the soil in our country appeared very unfortunate and whose lives are marked with low incomes alongside the lack of food security themselves. It is a fact that those who produce the food themselves are the ones who are starving, empty-handed, and have left poor compensation. Even though there have been a lot of campaigns to support local, the reality of these movements do not at all provide changes due to the incompetent structural policies being implemented.
In response to the issue on food security, the government enacted the Republic Act 11203 — "An Act Liberalizing the Importation, Exportation, and Trading of Rice, Lifting for the Purpose the Quantitative Import Restriction on Rice, and For Other Purposes"- essentially known as the Rice Tariffication Law which was passed last February 2019 aims to modernize the sector of agriculture and make it globally competitive. It will also impose a tariff before permitting the entry of imported rice that varies depending on the volume of the goods. Liberalizing the importation of rice would induce lower domestic rice prices as it competes in the local market while reducing the inflation rate at the same time.
Critics argue that although the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) is bound to provide enough technical needs and raw materials to aid the local farmers and boost productivity, it does not technically help make up the insurmountable costs that they have to endure with just 35% of imposed tariff from imported rice from ASEAN countries. Though it may be beneficial for the local rice industry to sell its goods while becoming competitive with other imported products in the market. However, farmers still suffer a drastic loss since only traders and retailers obtain an advantage and in effect, only importers and merchants can highly benefit as well.
Public policies that protect our farmers now and then must be widely comprehensive that will safeguard them from threats while maximizing their productivity and efficiency. Today, we need to identify and amplify the echoes of any sector in our society, not just the rice industry but others that need immediate attention and aid. While the raging storms are a phenomenon that we cannot entirely control, the government has the means to give the planters the support and assistance that they need to ensure that all of us who are members of one society can overcome these catastrophic challenges.

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