Farmers squeezed by high fuel prices, El Niño threat

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA) said they are preparing for the possible impacts of El Niño, as farmers continue to lament the high cost of production due to high oil prices and the coming dry months.

In a "24 Oras" report from Bernadette Reyes on Wednesday, farmers could be seen drying their palay in Baliuag, Bulacan, as they tried to make the most of the sunny weather. They could sell their palay for a high price if it was dry, but traders would still haggle down.

“Gusto nila bilhin nila sa mababang presyo dahil humaharvest na raw sa ibang lugar… Kami ngayon puro gasolina, diesel ginagamit namin sa bukid dahil sa makinarya, di gaya noong araw noong una akong nagsaka, kalabaw lang. Ngayon wala ng kalabaw,” farmer Boyet Gatchalian said.

(They want to buy it for a lower price because the harvest has already begun in another place… We are now using just gasoline and diesel in the farms because of the machinery, unlike before when I started to farm; it was just a kalabaw. Now, there is no kalabaw.)

Gatchalian said that they would lose money because of soaring gas prices.

In the Philippines, there are two seasons to harvest palay, the first being the dry season and the second being the wet harvest season. But in the town of Baliuag, some farmers believe that they will only be able to harvest once because of the El Niño phenomenon.

“Sabi nila may El Niño, huling tanim lang namin ito, isang tanim lang namin, itong wet, wala kaming dry season, lalo kami walang kakainin kung isang beses lang kami aani,” Gatchalian said.

(They said that there was an El Niño, so this is our last harvest; it is just one harvest, the wet, we do not have the dry season. We really will not have anything to eat if we just have one harvest.)

According to the DA, the agency is preparing for the possible effects of the droughts.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that there will be a decrease of 700,000 metric tons in rice production, while fish kills are also expected. Growing vegetables will also be a challenge.

“Ang good news ang ating mga dam is almost full, yun yung positive side ng Habagat magagamit natin yung tubig na yon sa susunod na pagtatanim,” Laurel said. (The good news is the dams are nearly full, so that is a positive side of the Southwest Monsoon; we could use the water in the next harvest.)

The DA and the NFA inspected the storage facilities in Tarlac to ensure that there are enough rice supplies ahead of El Niño.

There are around 60 bodegas across the country that will be filled with rice stocks to ensure sufficient supplies despite the lowered production.

Other than fuel subsidies, the government will also provide fertilizers. The NFA is also starting to buy palay.

“Ang NFA buffer stock natin, seven-day buffer stock, ang katumbas niyan sa bigas 276,000 metric tons or around 5.5 million bags, sako ang nasa bodega natin nationwide,” NFA chief Larry Lacson said.

(Our NFA buffer stock is a seven-day buffer stock, that is equivalent to 276,000 metric tons or around 5.5 million bags, sacks in our bodegas nationwide.)

In markets, rice prices remain high. In a store in Bulacan, local rice is P55/kilo while imported rice is P59/kilo. Meanwhile, in Mega Q in Quezon City, since the P50 price cap on imported rice was removed, some imported rice reached P60/kilo.

Laurel explained that the rice in the markets was bought last season. The current average buying price is lower, so the DA expected that prices should soon follow by the First Quarter. —LDF, GMA News