Kalinga rice farmers struggle to sell harvests

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Rice farmers in Kalinga and nearby places face difficulties in selling their harvests, and the main factors contributing to the problem are the limited storage of the National Food Authority (NFA) and the effects of the Rice Tariffication Law.

During the provincial government’s  “Kapehan sa Kapitolyo” on Monday, August 4, led by Governor James Edduba, Board Members Alfredo Dangani, Camilo Lammawin Jr., and Chris Dona-al, and department heads, among others, representatives of the NFA Cagayan, having warehouses in Kalinga and Apayao, revealed that all their warehouses in said provinces are currently full with over 639,000 bags of palay and 132,000 bags of rice. 

Of these, more than 162,000 bags of palay and 45,000 bags of rice are from the Kalinga satellite offices in Rizal and Tabuk. 

With that, the agency’s procurement is temporarily suspended until the stocks are pulled out or sold. However, the agency said they are doing everything they can to find temporary warehouses, such as coordinating with the local government units in Cagayan. 

To assist the agency and help its constituents sell their palays, Governor James Edduba, together with the other provincial officials, said they will be working closely with the private sector in identifying temporary warehouses that can serve as additional storage sites so that more palay will be stored, enabling the agency to resume buying. 

“We will be working with the private sector, agbiruk kami, and we will find temporary warehouses,” said assured Edduba. The suggestion of the Governor was supported by the Kapehan body. 

The governor then requested the NFA to raise the amount of unmilled rice bought from farmers in the province to at least 300,000 sacks or bags if the PLGU can provide warehouses, mentioning that Kalinga is among the top 10 rice-producing provinces in the country. 

NFA-Cagayan, in response, said they will bring the governor’s request to the ‘higher management.’ 

RICE TARRIFICATION LAW and its effect on buying unmilled rice from farmers

Under the  Rice Tariffication Law, which was passed in 2019, NFA-Cagayan explained they can only buy a maximum of 100 sacks of bags of palay per farmer in the province. This regulation poses problems because many farmers produce more than the said figure. 

While the RTL is meant to make rice cheaper for consumers, it also opened the market to an influx of imported rice. This causes the drop in local palay prices, leaving many farmers struggling to sell their harvests at fair prices. 

As of last week, the NFA-Cagayan said the price for dried palay is at P23 a kilo, while the fresh one is at P18 a kilo. 

To address the issue, the Kapehan body agreed to prepare a resolution asking the Congress to amend the RTL and make it more favorable not just for Kalinga but for all Filipino farmers.