Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) – The worsening state of the agriculture sector, with farmers recording massive crop losses, has triggered deep emotional stress among local producers.
At a Senate hearing on Monday, Elvin Laceda, national president of the Young Farmers Challenge Club of the Philippines, said five farmers died by suicide in Bayambang, Pangasinan.
Present during the hearing was the wife of one of the onion farmers, Nanay Merly (not her real name), who regained strength to continue running their family farm after her husband took his own life in 2022.
This, as their farm went bankrupt after harabas or army worms killed their crops.
While they replanted, Nanay Merly shared that they still suffered losses due to storms.
“Milyon-milyon po ang utang nila dahil sa harabas, army worm. Ngayon pa lang sila sana nakabawi pero dahil may importation po, wala pang 100 days, pero kailangan nang i-harvest, 85-90 days,” Laceda said.
[Translation: They owe millions because of harabas, army worm. Their recovery should start now, but because there is importation, they have to harvest early, 85-90 days instead of 100 days.]
“‘Yung storya ni Nanay, sana hindi na maulit sa ibang magsasaka,” he added.
[Translation: I hope Nanay’s story won’t happen again to other farmers.]
Last week, the Department of Agriculture said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of onions amid soaring prices in local public markets.
The supply is expected to arrive later this month or the first week of February.
Meanwhile, during the same hearing, municipal agriculturist Romel Calingasan of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro revealed that farmers in the town were forced to sell their onions for ₱8 to ₱15 per kilo during the harvest season in 2022 due to a cold storage shortage.
They later found out that traders sold their produce for up to ₱700 per kilo in Metro Manila markets from September to December, Calingasan said.
Reacting to Laceda’s information about the death of some onion farmers, AGAP Party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones said the situation was “alarming.”
“Nakakaalarma. Maliwanag na ang magsasaka ay nahihirapan at ang pagkain ay napakamahal,” he told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Tuesday.
[Translation: It’s alarming. It is clear that the farmer is struggling, and food is costly.]
