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Filipino farmers are calling for support after the government increased import of vegetables.
In a report on "Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho," affected farmers aired their grievances as they continue to lose income amid the dropping prices of onions and tomatoes.
To investigate the current situation, Jessica Soho traveled all the way to Nueva Ecija.
Bongabon, Nueva Ecija is the Onion Capital of the Philippines. All its 28 barangays rely on onions as their livelihood and source of earnings.
Marife, an onion farmer of almost 30 years, and whose parents are also farmers, said that when prices are good, Marife can receive a salary of P1,000 per day. But these days, the highest she has received is P300. She said they have a small harvest this year.
"'Pag walang ani, wala rin kaming kita. Kakarampot lang po, kulang pa po," she said.
["If there's no harvest, there's no income. Sometimes, what we have is very little, and it is not enough for us."]
Marife turned emotional, saying that all she wants is to give her children a better life. She also tried being a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia in 2016. But after three years, she returned home to Bongabon.
"Gusto nga namin umangat-angat kami kahit paano," she said. "'Yun na po ang talagang kinagisnan naming buhay, mahirap."
["We really want to improve our situation, even just a little. This livelihood is what we've known since birth—it's a hard life."]
Why import?
According to the report, it was in the '90s when the Philippines started importing onions from other countries.
Importation is a way for the government to ensure that vegetable prices would not rise, like what happened in 2022 when a kilo of onions reached P700.
In February, the Department of Agriculture (DA) approved the importation of thousands of metric tons of onions from China, Indonesia, and India.
Farmers did not agree with the importation, as it was already harvest season for onions. Some said it was bad timing, and led to them losing their income and being at a disadvantage.
When prices are good, a kilo of white onions would reach P80 to P110. But due to the timing of importation, onions are sold at P30 to P33, which is a low price for farmers' capital.
In a viral post, Filipino farmers were seen calling out, "Stop importation of onion! Support local farmers!"
Dialogue with the government
Farmer Geron from Barangay Pesa told "KMJS" that they have consulted the government for help and often hold dialogues with them.
He said his concern is the "timing" of the importation. February to April is the onion harvest in many areas of the Philippines. Geron has invested P700,000 in two hectares of land to plant onions. However, this season, he is only expecting P500,000 as income.
"Walang masama sa pag-import. Sana man lang tinatapos ang ani para hindi siya nakasabay sa pagpresyo ng mga traders sa pagbili niya ng sibuyas. Kung talagang kulang, they should have imported much much early."
["There's nothing wrong with importation, but they should have at least waited until our harvest season was over so it wouldn't interfere with the traders' pricing when they buy onions. If there was truly a shortage, they should have imported much earlier."]
Geron added, "Dapat mahalin nila ang magsasaka kasi ito po ang backbone of the economy. 'Yun pong mga tinatanim naming mga halaman, nakakatulong po ito sa lahat."
["Farmers should be valued because they are the backbone of the economy. The crops we grow benefit everyone."]
Oversupply of tomatoes
After Bagyong Pepito affected Bongabon in November 2024, many onions were damaged and disallowed for consumption. Following this, local farmers also tried planting tomatoes.
Richard, a farmer, invested P200,000 in one and a half hectares to plant tomatoes, from his income as a former seaman.
But in time for harvest, the farmgate price also dropped due to oversupply. Tomatoes were previously sold at P160 per kilo, but are now priced at P4 per kilo.
Farmers then express regret at having to throw away their harvested tomatoes. Some are also given away or piled up in boxes along the streets and fields.
"Ganun din kasi, dalhin din namin sa pamilihan. Eh babalik din, hindi rin nabebenta," Richard said. "Maganda naman po ang ani, 'yung presyo lang po ang mababa po," he added.
["It's the same thing, because we also bring it to the market. But it just comes back unsold. The harvest is actually good—it's just that the price is too low."]
Rescue Buy
So as not to let the vegetables go to waste, Rural Rising Philippines — an organization that helps farmers — launched a program titled Rescue Buy, where the crops are sold at more reasonable prices.
The team offered double the prices of the middleman, and along with "KMJS," brought trucks to the field to buy the tomatoes and pay the farmers.
Some of the tomatoes will also be donated to Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City.
The organization and farmers are also calling on the private sector, local government units, and the national government to market their tomatoes in Manila or in other areas that are running low or unfairly priced. They also hope that they can push for the processing of tomatoes to put these to good use and raise income for farmers.
Government side on 'wrong timing'
The Bongabon Agriculture Department said they have been coordinating with the DA and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
"Alam naman nila kung kailan at hindi dapat mag-import ng onions. Ang battle cry talaga namin is hanggat maaari, huwag masabay sa harvesting ng onions 'yung importation," said municipal agriculturist Jackie Gallarde.
["They know when they should and shouldn't import onions. Our real battle cry is to avoid letting importation coincide with the onion harvest as much as possible."]
The LGU also said that they are willing to assist the farmers and conduct trainings.
Jessica Soho personally spoke with DA Undersecretary Cheryl Marie Caballero, and asked why the government imported onions during the harvest season.
"We need to import during the time na parating ang anihan. Ang context nito ay merong pangangailangan na konti para matugunan 'yung gap. This should have been done earlier on, sometime, December. Nahuli lang 'yung paglabas ng measure to allow the importation," she said.
["We need to import when the harvest season is approaching, but only to address a small supply gap. This should have been done earlier, around December. The decision to allow importation was simply made too late."]
"But what we are looking at ay pagdating sa malakihang bulto na dadating na nitong anihan, na-anticipate na 'yan ng DA. So, stop gap lang 'yung in-allow ni Secretary na ma-import."
["What we're really looking at is the large volume arriving during this harvest, which the DA has already anticipated. So, the importation approved by the Secretary was merely a stop-gap measure."]
Caballero said that there was an agreement from December 2024 to not let the importation spill over to March.
"So 'yung pagdating nu'ng importation na na-approve ng Secretary para sa 3,000 metric tons ay para sa Pebrero. Ito po ay napag-usapan nila through the Onion Allium Team, kung saan ang farmers, ang industry at ang mga taga-DA ay nagkakaroon ng konsultasyon," she said.
["The arrival of the 3,000 metric tons of imported onions approved by the Secretary was for February. This was discussed by them through the Onion Allium Team, where farmers, the industry, and the DA hold consultations."]
She also said the importation was not a large one that would affect local volume and pricing.
The department is also mulling storage for the harvest. The undersecretary said that the cold storages are owned by cooperatives, which serve as the department's entry point to the farms.
Cooperatives from Nueva Ecija said that they are maximizing their cold storage. They already have one filled room, while the rest are still being filled with white onions and local produce from farmers.
However, the main issue is the high electricity prices in the storage facilities.
"Kung mababa 'yung presyo, 'di ba mayroong pagkakataon na puwede mo munang i-store at antayin tumaas ang presyo?" Caballero said.
["If the price is low, there is an opportunity to store the onions first and wait for the price to increase."]
"While wala silang benepisyo maybe na hindi nila ma-enjoy 'yung pagtaas ng presyo kung iimbak nila ito, meron tayong market linkages through the KADIWA ng Pangulo, kung saan tinutulungan natin silang dalhin 'yung produkto nila papunta doon sa lugar na may KADIWA, so puwedeng sila magbenta direkta," she added.
["While they might not benefit much from the price increase by storing their produce, we provide market linkages through the KADIWA ng Pangulo. This helps them bring their products to the locations with KADIWA, allowing them to sell directly."]
As for the oversupply of tomatoes, Caballero said this happened because "sabay-sabay na nagtanim, sabay-sabay na umani," or 'planted at the same time, harvested at the same time'. The farmers, she added, are aware of the "cropping calendar," which tells them the right time to plant certain crops.
A possible solution for the tomatoes would be to have dehydration facilities, Caballero said. When the tomato is dehydrated, it can last for several months. This would still be a fresh tomato, but when hot water is poured over it, it will expand and be put in dishes.
Caballero also assured that they hear the concerns of local farmers.
"Umiikot tayo all throughout. Iba't ibang commodity, iba't ibang grupo. Ang nakikita po natin sa direksyon ngayon ng ating Department of Agriculture ay magkaroon ng sustainaibility at profitability ang magsasaka."
["We are continuously reaching out to various groups and sectors across different commodities. The current direction of our Department of Agriculture focuses on ensuring sustainability and profitability for farmers."]
For those who want to help the farmers and Rural Rising Philippines, you may coordinate with:
Ace Estrada
0917-538-7787
—JCB, GMA Integrated News
