Farmers in Antique are losing income as palay (unhusked rice) prices dropped to P10 per kilo starting mid-September, down from around P24 per kilo before the peak of the harvest season.
Provincial Governor Paolo Everardo Javier said on Thursday, October 23, that he plans a consultative meeting with farmers’ associations to discuss government support amid the low prices.
Javier expressed sympathy for farmers, calling their earnings “hardly profitable,” and said he wants to hear their suggestions to avoid exploitation during the harvest peak.
As a long-term solution, Javier is studying the establishment of two rice processing complexes to provide drying and milling facilities. Without these, farmers often sell their harvest immediately at lower prices to prevent spoilage.
The National Food Authority (NFA) also faces logistical limits. Assistant Manager Philip Cesar Rumbaoa said the agency cannot fully implement procurement in Antique due to the lack of a warehouse.
NFA offers P23 per kilo for clean and dry palay and PHP17 per kilo for wet palay.
Rumbaoa stressed that the P10 per kilo market price remains far below what farmers should receive, signaling the need for urgent action.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.