Farmgate prices of corn are already rapidly falling, and it’s not even yet the peak of the harvest season!” This is a major concern for farmers who grow yellow corn in Cagayan Valley with the approach of harvest.

In a report released by the Danggayan Cagayan Valley (Alliance of Farmers in the Cagayan Valley), the price of regular corn in Lasam, Cagayan is now only ₱7/kilo; ₱10/kilo in San Mariano, Ilagan, Roxas and ₱10.50 in San Guillermo. In Gattaran, regular corn costs ₱11.50/kilo, while “good & dry” (with low moisture content) is priced at only ₱15-17.50/kilo.

In Cotabato, as well as in Bukidnon and Maguindanao, corn prices are set at ₱17/kilo (from ₱25/kilo before the harvest season). In Zamboanga, corn prices are at ₱17 to ₱19 per kilo from ₱20/kilo. Elsewhere in BARMM, prices fell to ₱16 from ₱26-₱27 prior to the harvest. Farmers expect prices to plummet further at the height of the harvest.

“We survived the army worm infestation, high winds, floods and the recent El Niño, but we can’t survive the cheap price of corn,” farmers complained. They condemned traders for pushing down prices during the harvest season. They said traders seem to be asking for their produce for free.

Low farmgate prices are an extremely heavy burden for farmers to bear, especially amid unrelenting increases in production costs. They need to invest at least ₱64,000 per hectare, which they usually borrow at very high interest rates of 30-40%.

“Almost 80% of our expenses are spent on seeds, fertilizers and labor,” Danggayan said. “The lenders are the same people who buy our corn at prices and classifications they set. The good & dry corn they buy from us at ₱16/kilo is sold for ₱50/kilo to the big feed plants in Bulacan and Manila. Where is justice in all this?”

Corn is the second most widely grown crop in the Philippines. More than 500,000 farming families grow corn on nearly 2.5 million hectares. Yellow corn comprises 72% of what they grow and is used as feed for swine, chickens and fish. Cagayan Valley (Isabela) and Northern Mindanao (Bukidnon) are the largest corn producers.

Apart from yellow corn, farmers also grow white corn, which is used as an ingredient in corn starch, binatog (a local steamed corn kernel snack), and kornik (a crunchy corn kernel snack). It is also ground and serves as a rice substitute.