Number of farmers declining in PHL

The Philippines' farmers are decreasing in number, while the ones who are left are getting older—not an ideal situation for an agricultural country.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that the number of rice farmers in the country went down from 2.6 million in 2010 to 2.2 million in 2015, Tina Panganiban-Perez said in her report on Balitanghali.

What's more, the average age of rice farmers is now 55.

At 72, Norman Marangan continues to till the fields, saying that he cannot leave his livelihood.

“Kung maaari, iiwanan ko sabi 'yang bukid, pero hindi ko total na iiwan dahil namulat na isip ko diyan sa pagbubukid, at wala namang akong ibang itutustos sa aking pamilya, kundi tumulong sa bukid,” he said.

The National Food Authority (NFA) receives a P7-billion subsidy from the government—a subsidy that some sectors might want to go towards the construction of infrastructure that could ease the country's rice crisis and support farmers.

But according to NFA Officer-in-Charge Tomas Escarez, there is a separate specific budget allotted for infrastructure building.

“Yung mga sinasabi na mga infrastructure development, meron naman talagang nakalaan dyan na pondo under corporate fund. We don’t have to use the P7 billion para diyan, kasi may pondong specific para diyan,” he said.

Omi Royandoyan, executive director of non-government organization Centro Saka, said that one way to help farmers would be to address the problem of lack of irrigation.

“May problem talaga sa production dahil kinukulang ka ng tubig. Ayusin mo yung watershed  as source of irrigation, that should be the top priority of this government. Maging productive ka, i-address mo kung bakit mataas yung production cost,” he said. — Joviland Rita/BM, GMA News