Farmers in Bataan appealed to the government to subsidize their requirements for diesel and fertilizers that could help them cope with the rising cost of vital farm inputs.
Rudy Bugay, who tills a 2.5-hectare of land in this town, said on Thursday the desire of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to increase rice production could easily be done through the full support of the government to the farmers.
“Dapat may counterpart ang gobyerno na kahit hindi na kalahati ay one-fourth man lamang na tulong sa pataba at krudo ay masisiyahan na ang magsasaka (There must be a counterpart from the government even one-fourth in the fertilizers and crude oil. The farmers will be satisfied),” he said in an interview.
Bugay said he used to spend around PHP12,000 per hectare on commercial fertilizers but the amount has more than doubled and his expenses presently reached PHP32,000.
The price of commercial fertilizers, he said, increased from PHP1,000 a bag to more than PHP3,000.
“Mas maganda nga kung gubyerno na ang magpo-provide ng pataba. Kapag ginawa ito, mag-o-over production tayo (It is better if the government will provide the fertilizers, we will have overproduction,” Bugay said.
He also said that rice importation has a big effect on them because palay price in the country is down while expenses go up.
Bugay said that aside from the subsidy on fertilizers, they also need a subsidy on diesel for the water pumps that most farmers in this town use in irrigating their rice fields.
He recommended that government build solar-run water pumps instead of providing diesel-fed water pumps so that more farmers will benefit.
Bugay likewise asked that government provide solar dryers and not ask farmer’s organizations to provide a lot where to locate the dryer as farmers are mostly tenants and own no lot to provide as counterpart.
Farmer Narciso Vicente said they will be very happy if given enough subsidy for fertilizers.
“Sana dagdagan pa ang fertilizer subsidy dahil malaking tulong ito sa mga magsasaka lalo na ngayong mahirap ang buhay (Hopefully, there will be more fertilizer subsidies because it is a big help to the farmers especially now that life is hard),” Vicente said.
“Sa sinasabing utos ng bagong Pangulo na palakasin ang rice production, ito ang dapat na tuunan ng pansin at talagang bigyan ng pansin ang mga magsasaka (With the directive of the new President to increase rice production, the farmers must be given attention),” Vicente, who cultivates a two-hectare farm, said.
Delia Mojica, farmer’s wife from Barangay Sta. Lucia here, wished that they be given full subsidy in fertilizers.
She said that presently, they consume more than PHP20,000 worth of fertilizers in their one hectare-rice land.
She said commercial fertilizers are very costly and presently cost from PHP2,700 to more than PHP3,000 a bag. (PNA)
