The Rice Tariffication Law has opened wide the country to the unlimited importation of rice which caused the flooding of the domestic market. This caused the severe decrease of palay prices around the country from the average of P22.00 to P15.00, even P11.00 in Nueva Ecija. And yet the prices of rice have not gone down as expected! "The government's economic team projected that rice prices would drop to as low as P27 per kilo due to the rice tariffication law effectively liberalizing the market." Well, they have NOT. It is still P39.00 to P43.5!

Farmers spend an average of P45,000 per hectare when producing rice. Unlike Thailand and Vietnam, the Ph government does not provide enough subsidies to the farmers. A lot of them especially poor farmers resorted to utang, 5-6 or loans with high interest rates. In the last data, more than 200,000 farmers have quit farming and shifted to other livelihood like poultry, fishing, piggery (which was recently attacked by African swine fever). A number of farmers have committed suicide because of the crisis.In both cases, only the big negosyante and corrupt government officials in rice industry have benefited in the crisis.

Family members chose to go to the urban areas or abroad to look for any jobs resulting for more burden to the women members of the household to do more work for the family left behind to survive.

There are signs of massive land use conversions like housing subdivisions, resorts, mono-cropping, and commercial purposes, as farmers will be forced to sell their land. They can no longer afford to continue farming!  

This crisis drastically further damage the agricultural production system.

That's why we are calling to IMMEDIATELY REPEAL the Rice Tariffication Law that causes systemic marginalization and undermining not only to the local rice producers but to the common Filipino people.

Alternatively, the peoples organizations of KILOS KA continuously practice ORGANIC & DIVERSIFIED FARMING as direct solution to this on-going problem. But not until the rice tariffication law will be repealed, the farmers and common people of Mindanao will be at ease to the situation.

SAVE OUR FARMERS. SAVE OURSELVES. SIGN THE PETITION NOW!