Farmers in Nueva Ecija are currently incurring severe losses due to extremely low rice and tomato farmgate prices.

Radyo Natin Guimba reported that rice farm gate price is only at ₱16.50, contrary to the Department of Agriculture’s claim that it is currently at ₱20/kilo. Harvest season in the province is approaching, and the farmgate price of rice is expected to drop even further in the coming weeks. Rice farmers borrow nearly all their expenses, thus they are doubly struck with the extremely low farmgate price of their harvest. As the lose income, they are buried even deeper in debt.

Meanwhile, the buying price of tomatoes in the province is now only at ₱4/kilo. Because of this, farmers just dump kilos of tomatoes on roadsides rather than incur more loses transporting them to markets.

“The low farm gate price of tomatoes…is a concrete example of the negative effect on farmers of the policy of agricultural liberalization or sole reliance on the private sector for food trade, and the government’s lack of support for production and selling,” the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women stated on February 27.

“The government and DA have nothing but press releases saying they will resolve the food crisis but as always, dictates of traders collapsed the farmgate price of tomatoes in Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija. Just last month, its retail price was very steep. The government and DA are doubtlessly useless, and Tiu-Laurel is all empty boasts and deception,” Amihan national chairperson Zenaida Soriano said.

Soriano said with very expensive inputs behind the very high cost of farming, farmers have the right to call for adequate and proper buying prices for their products. The women farmers also call on the Filipino people to support their sector and fight against the control of traders and importers in setting food prices and supply in the country.