ANGELES CITY- The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) has issued five proposals to resolve the crisis being faced by the country’s rice farmers, even as it accused the government of lying to extenuate the crisis.
The KMP, the National Federation of Peasant Women (Amihan), and land reform advocates, in a symbolic act, dumped recently some rice hull or “ipa” outside the Department of Agriculture (DA) building in Quezon City “to denounce the empty solutions of the agency in addressing the woes of farmers particularly the plummeting prices of palay and other agricultural produce.”
“The DA is lying about the latest average farm gate prices of palay. Wala pong P23 na palay. Ang average pa rin ay P10 hanggang P12. They are still P6 to P7 per kilo in many areas. In Camarines Sur, a top rice producing province in Bicol, the prevailing prices of palay is still at P7 per kilo. Mas mahal pa ang darak na P20 kada kilo,” KMP said in a statement.
The groups asked Agriculture Sec. William Dar to “face the farmers in a dialogue so the stakeholders in the rice industry, especially palay farmers, can thresh out and lay down their concrete proposals to the Department of Agriculture.”
“Puro salita at boladas itong DA sa mga solusyon at pangako nito sa magsasaka. Napakalaki ng sinasabing pondo na para sa mga magsasaka mula sa Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund pero walang katiyakan kung mararamdaman man lang ito ng mga magbubukid. Kadalasan ay nalulustay at nauuwi sa korapsyon ang pondo na dapat ay para sa mga magbubukid,” said Danilo Ramos, chairperson of KMP. He added that the P2.5-billion fund from RCEF that DA said it will roll out will not be used for palay procurement.
The militant groups issued in common five proposals for the government so as to resolve the rice crisis faced by rice farmers. They are as follows.
1. Buy the palay produced by farmers at P20 per kilo NFA support price with incentives for drying, delivery fee and cooperative development;
2. The NFA must procure at least 10 percent of the total palay production for this cropping season;
3. Approve and release the P15-billion supplemental budget to the NFA for the urgent procurement of at least 750,000 metric tons of palay from local farmers at the farmgate price of P20 per kilo;
4. Urgent, sufficient subsidy and support for production including seeds, mechanical dryers, drying facilities, farm tools, farm inputs and other needs for rice production; and
5. Overall, the government must rescind its rice importation policies, suspend for the time being the RA 11203, and eventually repeal this law that has severely damaged the situation of rice farmers, consumers, and stakeholders in the rice industry.
KMP said it is leading the month-long farmer- led activities and actions for the October Peasant Month in time for the harvest season.
