IT’S THE start of the rice harvest season (September). It is also the beginning of the end of the so-called tigkiriwi season. The Hiligaynon term roughly translates to pained facial expression; this face in severe pain is an apt description of the plight of our farmers who, for some three months, had very little income as they waited for their palay to mature. Things could get worse (we hope not) due to erratic weather patterns, no thanks to climate change.
We do not want to sound unduly alarmist but crops could fail because of the erratic weather. As early as 10 years ago the international advocacy group Oxfam predicted that yield in rice-producing countries like the Philippines will drop by 10 percent for every one-degree Celsius rise in temperature. Aside from rice, it said corn production will also suffer. Corn is an alternative to rice in poor provinces, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Oxfam predicted that the country’s rice production will drop by 50 to 70 percent by 2020. This will definitely impact on the Filipinos, particularly the poor. Among the vulnerable sectors, rice farmers who have long been complaining of extreme hunger despite the fact that they are the ones producing the staple food for the Filipinos, will be the hardest hit.
The government policy on agriculture must be reviewed and revamped to help farmers and avert food disaster. It should step up programs that will not only help increase food production but also fight global warming and climate change.
We tend to think that famine occurred only in biblical times, but we could suffer widespread hunger, thanks to past administrations that put agriculture at the bottom of their priorities. Foreign governments encourage their farmers by subsidizing production of certain crops. In contrast, Filipino farmers are left to their own devices. Forced to buy fertilizers and other farm inputs at excessive prices, they produce crops at a much higher cost. And so officials cite the high prices of locally produced rice to justify the need to buy from abroad.
The country has fertile farmlands and free-flowing rivers for irrigation, but we failed to exploit these rich natural resources to ensure food security. It’s time we reverse the situation.
