son cycle.

Latest data from the Phil-

The situation is apparently ippine Statistics Authority
better in Isabela, one of the .(PSA) showed consistently low
largest rice-producing prov- prices for more than eight
lnces. months now after the Philip-
,. Isabela Gov Rodolfo Albano pinesppened its rice industry
THE PHILIPPINE STAR III, a former congressman, told to more private sectorirnports.
The STAR that palay buying In its regular update on pa-
MONDAY I NOVEMBER 25.2Or9 prices in his province "have lay, rice and corn prices, PSA
stabilized in the P17-P19-per- said the average wholesale
kilo range." price of well-milled rice ii now
'The NFA and the provincial al P37.57 per kilogram as of
govemment are buying palay fust sreek of November.

farmers losing
'Rice at those prices, forcing private This is 14 percent lowerthan
baders to compete with us. We the P43.71, per kilo level from
will not Iet prices go below pro- the same period a year ago and
P4 per kilo in harvest' duction cosf or farmers will lose 0.1 percent below on a weekly
money and they may no Ionger basis. Its average retail price
Rice farmers are losing P4 per P9, or P4 lower than production plant rice." he said. also decreased by 12.4 percent
kilo in the ongoing wet-season cost of P13 per kilo.
He said Isabela is buying to P41.73 per kilo.
crop harvest due to the low price "At an average yield of 70 palay and milling it into rice Meanwhile, the wholesale
of their palay produce, a Hbuse 50-kilo bags per hectare, the fgr distribution to its em- price of regular-milled rice
leader said yesterday. farmer's cost is P45,500 while his plovees and donation to the was P33.42 per kilo, down 18
Deputy Speaker Aurelio income is only P31,500, or a loss 6df artment of Social Welfare percent while its average retail
Gonziles Jr said that in Pam- of P14,000 per hectare," he said. and Development and other price was at P36.82 a kilo.
.panga's third distric! which he Gonzales said in his district
agencies. While consumers are ben-
iepresents, his 8000 farmer-con- alone, the combined losses of
"We are also selling to other efitting from the opening up
stituents are selling their palay at Turn tp Page 4
local governmeht units and of the markel local farmers are
govemment offices. Provincial suffering from declining palay
government procurement is farmgate plices.
forcing prices up. We are now The average farmgate pdce
preparing for the main harvest, of palay is norvhere near recov-
which is the dry-season crop ery at P15.52. The cuffent price
in the first quarler oI 2020," is a 24 percent drop from the
Albano said. P21.28 per kilo last year when
He added the provincial the rice liberalization had yet
govemment is likeu'ise ready- to become law.
ing price support mechanisms It is also lower than the
Rice From Page 1 for the farmers' com harvest.
r "Corn prices are also falling
P19.40 per kilo last March
when the law took effect.
his 6,000 rice farmers amount SO.kilo cavans or bags, while because of decreasing demand "How can massive rice
to at least P84 million, adding irrigqted lard can product as . from the hog industry, which importation be good for all
that he heard from his col*- miich as 120 cavans- . has been hit by African swine when both the consumers arrd
leagues in other districts pro- Gonzales said the {armefs' feveq" he stressed. the rice farmers don'i benefii?"
ducin$ rice that "this is also the .losses tfris cropping period PangiLinarr said.
dire situation their rice farmers "will leave them deeper in debt 'Probe drop in rice At the same time, Pang-
are facing." because thev will not be able to and palay prices' ilinan renerved his call to irn-
He pointed out that many pay for 3heii loans, which carry 5en. Francis Pangilinan, rnediately compensate farmers
farmers usually moitgagi usurious inteiest rates of 10 meanwhile, ca.lled on the Phil- for the billions of pesos in
their expected harvest before percent a montlt the kind we ippine Competition Com- losses they have incurred with
the start o{ planting season in call 5-6, which under the law mission to investisate the the flood of rice imports.
exchange for production loans are prohibited." mismatch in the drJp in rice "It is the government's dutv
and money for household "They need the hel! of the and palay prices following the to save those devastated by
exPenses. goYemment in terms of financ- liberalization of the industry this law" he added.
According to official data, ing, farm equipment, inputs ParLgilinan said tfrere is an Pangilinan has called on the
the country has more than like seeds, and machineries unfair decline in the prices of government to fast-track the
two million rice farmers with iike driers," he said. rice in the market and that of release of an initial P3 billion
an average farm size o{ more Without financial assis- f armers' palay produce. for the direct cash compensa-
than one hectare. Un-irrigated tance, he said farmers would "This means that the Rice tion to affected rice farmers.
rice land during normal rairry be forced again to tum to loan Tariffication Law does not During the plenary hearing
season yields from 70 to 90 sharks in the coming dry sea- fuIfilI its promise to lower rice of the Deparhnent ofFinance's
prices for consumers and the 2020 budget, Pangilinan un-
\Thilr PAq€,) law onlv causes our rice farm- derscored Finance Secretary
ers hariships because of low Carlos Dominguez's support
palay prices," he said. for Joint Resolution No. 2,
Prices of Filipinos' main which sought to amend the
staple continued to be on the Rice Tariffication Law arLd al-
downtrend with consumers low the distribution ofP15 bil-
saving more but farners earn- lion immediate cash assistance
ing less following the influx of directly to rice farmers.
imported rice. - With Jess Diaz