Farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) criticized the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday for boasting of “crumbs and token aid” while rice farmers struggle with depressed palay prices and inadequate support, despite government data showing a strong rebound in the agriculture sector.
“It is truly the DA’s job to help and ease the situation of farmers,” said KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos. “But do not boast about crumbs and meager assistance. Do not treat farmers — who are already impoverished because of the crisis — as beggars.”
The group said the DA’s P20-per-kilo rice program “misses the core of the issue,” stressing the need for genuine support and just farmgate prices.
In Bulacan, rice farmers from Malolos and Plaridel lamented the lack of government aid and the National Food Authority’s (NFA) failure to buy palay at fair rates.
“In several Malolos villages, palay prices range from P7 to P10 per kilo. There was even an incident where farmers brought palay to the NFA but it was rejected and not purchased. It is now stuck, and the farmers are already at a loss,” Ramos said.
Ramos also questioned Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr.’s grasp of farmers’ realities, calling for “radical reforms” including genuine land reform, ending land conversion, and subsidies such as free irrigation, seeds, fertilizer, and mechanization support.
The statement came a day after the DA reported a 5.7 percent year-on-year growth in agriculture and fisheries for the second quarter of 2025, with total value reaching PHP437.53 billion — a turnaround from a -3.2 percent contraction last year.
“This result, and that of the first quarter, is a clear indication that we are on the right track,” Tiu-Laurel said, crediting better weather conditions, reforms under the Rice Tariffication Law, stronger disease control measures, and increased investments in infrastructure, logistics, and research and development.
Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa cited improved farming technologies and the distribution of high-yielding crop varieties as key drivers of growth. Crop production rose by 11.3 percent to PHP244.9 billion, while poultry output increased by 7 percent to PHP75.07 billion.
“We know that we still have to do a lot more to realize the vision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a modern agricultural sector, where farmers and fisherfolk reap the full benefits of their hard work,” Tiu-Laurel said. “But this result shows we are moving in the right direction.”
KMP, however, maintains that farmers need production support, not charity. “The price of palay must be raised and the rice cartel dismantled,” Ramos said, adding that the group will meet with the DA on Monday to reiterate their proposals.
