LEGAZPI CITY, Bicol – A stark warning was issued on International Human Rights Day: the deepening food crisis in the Philippines is a direct threat to national sovereignty. The Integrated Rural Development Foundation (IRDF) sounded the alarm, pointing to profound structural failures in agricultural policy that are crippling the nation's ability to feed itself.
The Stark Reality: Farmers Losing, Consumers Suffering
The crisis presents a cruel paradox. On one hand, farmers are selling their palay (unhusked rice) for a loss, with prices languishing between P12 to P15 per kilogram. This is consistently below the production cost, which ranges from P17 to P20 per kilogram. On the other hand, consumers, especially the poor, are burdened by soaring retail prices, with rice now costing P48 to P60 per kilogram in markets.
Experts and farmer leaders squarely blame the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) for this imbalance. The law is accused of opening the floodgates to cheap and often unregulated imports, which depress local farm incomes. The primary beneficiaries have been traders and importers, while Filipino rice cultivators face devastation.
The consequence is a threat to the very future of rice production. Continuous financial losses are forcing farmers to abandon their fields or sell their land. Professor Teodoro Mendoza, a scientist from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), issued a grave prediction: if the trend continues, there may be very few farmers left to grow rice in the next 10 to 15 years.
"No nation can claim autonomy if it cannot feed its people," Prof. Mendoza emphasized. He highlighted that rice constitutes 45 to 70% of the daily calorie intake of Filipinos, making it central not just to nutrition but to national identity itself.
A 5-Point Roadmap to Reclaim Food Sovereignty
In response to this emergency, the IRDF, through its Executive Director Arze Glipo, presented a five-point governance-focused plan to stabilize the rice sector and reclaim policy control.
- Immediately raise the palay support price to P22–P25/kg. This is framed as an act of justice to stabilize farm incomes and prevent the mass exodus from rice farming.
- Shift the NFA mandate to active trade intervention. The call is to transform the National Food Authority from a passive buffer-stock agency into an active market player that influences prices. This requires:
- Mandating the NFA to procure at least 20% of the country's total palay production to break trader control.
- Massive investment in drying facilities and warehouses.
- Expanding reach by installing more buying stations and partnering with farmer cooperatives.
- Allocating at least P200 billion to the NFA for aggressive procurement, a scale comparable to strategies in Thailand and India.
- Amend or repeal the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL). The goal is to restore balance by reinstating prudent import management, including quantitative controls and safeguard mechanisms.
- Implement debt relief and climate-resilient support. Provide immediate relief for farmer debts paired with investments in climate-resilient technologies, agroecology, and improved irrigation.
- Institutionalize participatory food governance. Establish a National Rice and Food Security Council that includes farmers, rural women, consumers, LGUs, and experts to ensure democratic control over the food system.
The Time for Courageous Action is Now
The IRDF asserts that the necessary funds, such as the P200 billion for NFA procurement, can be found within the existing national budget. They point to potential sources like reallocating "ghost" funds from flood control projects or other channels of political corruption. The argument is clear: if billions can be allocated to infrastructure projects prone to corruption, those funds should be redirected to agriculture, which democratizes wealth and boosts rural economic growth.
The final plea from IRDF and farmer groups to the President and Congress is urgent: "Choose courage, choose the people. Rebuild our rice economy now." The survival of Filipino farmers and the nation's food sovereignty hang in the balance.
