ILOILO – With local farmers fearing financial collapse due to plummeting palay (un-milled rice) prices, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) is rushing to craft urgent policy measures to cushion the crisis and ensure fair compensation for producers.
The alarm was sounded by 4th District’s SP member Rolando Distura, who in his privileged speech titled “An Unjust Price for Our Farmers’ Sweat and Sacrifice”, exposed the plight of Iloilo’s agricultural workers.
The speech prompted the Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by 3rd District’s SP member Jason Gonzales, to convene an emergency hearing to address what Distura described as a “critical juncture” for the province’s farming sector.
Distura revealed that the farmgate price of palay has dropped to as low as P10 to P12 per kilo, far below production costs.
“I work tirelessly to nurture my crops, but when it comes time to sell, the prices I receive are a fraction of what I need to support my family,” one farmer lamented during consultations.
The SP member warned that many farmers are now considering abandoning their fields, a development that could threaten both food security and the rural economy.
“Our farmers are suffering. Without urgent intervention, we risk losing the very people who feed us,” he said.
During the committee hearing, representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Regional Agricultural Office (RAO), Provincial Agricultural Office (PAO), and Municipal Agricultural Offices (MAOs) were urged to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of existing support programs. Gonzales emphasized that the province cannot afford to rely on “business as usual” measures while farmers sink deeper into debt.
“These programs must be examined closely to ensure they truly help farmers survive and thrive, not just exist,” Gonzales stressed.
The committee — composed of SP members Rolito Cajilig, Dominic Paul Oso, and Esara Javier — agreed to craft legislative proposals to regulate farmgate pricing mechanisms, reduce production costs, and expand subsidies for seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation.
As the hearing concluded, the provincial board reached a consensus: the Iloilo agricultural sector needs not just sympathy but swift, strategic action.
“We cannot allow our farmers’ sacrifices to go unrewarded,” Distura said, calling for both provincial and national government coordination to restore stability in the local rice industry.
The SP is expected to submit a set of urgent legislative recommendations in the coming weeks to prevent the agricultural downturn from escalating into a full-blown economic crisis./PN
