Brothers and sisters, if consumers are happy about lower rice prices in markets and stores, our fellow farmers are in peril because of the blatant haggling by those who purchase these farmers’ palay.
Because of the rice tariffication law, the restrictions of importing rice were gone. This resulted in greater supply of rice that pushed rice prices down. If you remember, this law became the primary focus of the government during the rice crisis that we experienced in 2018. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority or PSA, the price of regular milled rice varies from P38 to P43 per kilo. This is still far from the law’s target of P27 per kilo.
Meanwhile, the price of palay purchased from farmers is greatly reduced. On average, the market value of grain falls to P17 per kilo, which is lower than the P22 price last year. It is even more worrying in some areas. In Nueva Ecija, for example, the price of grain falls to only P7 per kilo. Farmers are at a complete loss since the cost of producing a kilo of palay is placed at P12. Our farmers are in danger because of the competition in the market brought about by cheap imported rice.
It may be saddening for most of us, especially for those in cities who do not understand the struggle our farmers are facing. The government promised to pass the Rice Tariffication Act with proper funding in order to help farmers produce better, and protect them against unfair systems that traders and other importers follow. Do these actually happen?
What is more painful is that our lawmakers still doubt the data showing the grave economic losses of these farmers. Sen. Cynthia Villar, for example, says that farmers hoping to sell their grain at a price of P21 per kilo is an exaggeration. This is “too much,” according to the senator that pushed for the implementation of the rice tariffication law. But according to the group Batas Bigas, even the price of P21 is too much for the senator, the farmers will only be making a profit of P5,564 every cropping season, which is quite low compared to the supposed income of a family with five members so as not to be considered poor. Need we wonder why farmers are among the poorest in our country?
We in the Church give importance to the contribution of our farmers in society. During Pope John Paul II’s homily dedicated to the farmers in Bicol back in 1981, His Holiness gave emphasis on society’s great debt of gratitude to our farmers. In the Pope’s words, farming is noble because it is not only a service for their families but for the entire country. The service that farmers render because of their self-sacrifice for the sake of their fellowmen in need of food can’t be quantified.
But in their current struggle, our farmers are experiencing the lack of attention given by the government on their concerns. Now, can we say that the valuable contribution of our farmers is given importance? Who benefits from the rice tariffication law, the poor farmers or the businessmen importing rice?
Brothers and sisters, in the book of Genesis 3:19, the Lord said: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” This is where the dignity of our farmers takes root—dignity that is being abused by irresponsible leaders and citizens without care for these farmers’ welfare.
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