Farmers protest, urge stronger support for local production

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By Juliane Judilla

Farmers, consumers, and progressive groups staged a protest Thursday, Oct. 9, in front of the National Food Authority (NFA) Region VI office in Jaro, Iloilo City, to demand greater government support for local food production.

The demonstration was led by Paghugpong sang mga Mangunguma sa Panay kag Guimaras (PAMANGGAS), the Panay Consumers Alliance (PCA), and several farmers’ associations calling on the NFA to purchase palay from farmers at higher prices aligned with prevailing market rates.

“Advance local production. Allocate the budget to the agriculture sector instead of giving it to corrupt politicians!” said Lucia Capaducio of PAMANGGAS.

A simultaneous dialogue with NFA officials was also held, where the groups emphasized the need to increase the agriculture budget to assist more farmers and farmworkers struggling with production costs and low incomes.

The protesters criticized the government’s Benteng Bigas Meron Na (BBM) program, describing it as a “band-aid” response to the deeper problems faced by the country’s agricultural sector.

They reiterated calls for local industrialization, genuine agrarian reform, and the repeal of the Rice Liberalization Law, which they said continues to harm Filipino farmers by allowing an influx of imported rice and suppressing local prices.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, agriculture employs nearly one in four Filipino workers, making it a key driver of rural livelihoods yet one of the most underfunded sectors in the national budget.

PAMANGGAS and PCA said sustained government investment in local agriculture—particularly in production subsidies, post-harvest facilities, and fair pricing—would help ensure food security and protect farmers from market exploitation.