AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III has called on lawmakers and government agencies to rally behind farmers amid the steep drop in the farmgate price of palay.
Estrella pitched the proposal for the government to directly buy palay from the farmers at a reasonable price for them to cope with the economic hardship.
‘Our palay farmers are the backbone of our food security. This caucus is not just a meeting-it is a call to action. We are appealing to all national government agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations [GOCCs], to rally behind our farmers and directly procure their produced rice,’ Estrella said in a statement.
Estrella issued the same appeal when he addressed participants of a Special Caucus initiated by the agency to provide support to rice farmers.
The Special Caucus held recently at the DAR Central Office brought together top national leaders and key stakeholders to safeguard the livelihoods of palay farmers.
Among those in attendance were Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Speaker Faustino Dy III, National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Larry Lacson, House Committee on Agriculture chairman Rep. Mark Enverga, House Agrarian Reform Committee Chairperson Rep. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform chairman Sen. Francis Pangilinan, and other members of the House of Representatives, and local government executives from rice-producing provinces.
During the caucus, Estrella emphasized the critical need for solidarity across all sectors.
The caucus follows an initial meeting last week with President Marcos during which the group raised the plight of palay farmers and discussed potential interventions. Following a series of dialogues with other concerned officials, the caucus announced that it will formally submit a recommendation to the chief executive urging him to issue a policy statement requiring all government institutions, including GOCCs, to procure locally produced rice.
This proposed directive aims to create immediate demand for local palay harvests, offer price stability, and ensure government-led support for the agricultural sector.
Dy expressed full legislative support for emergency interventions to ensure fair farmgate prices.
‘We must protect the dignity of our farmers. We will continue to push for policies and budget support that ensure fair farmgate prices and national food security,’ Dy said.
For his part, Pangilinan emphasized ‘the caucus is geared towards policy announcement for the national government agencies (NGAs), GOCCs, and LGUs to only purchase rice that is locally produced.
The DAR said the initiative underlines the government’s commitment to upholding the welfare of farmers’ communities and ensuring that no farmer is left behind during the peak of harvest. The caucus also identified immediate measures to stabilize palay prices, including bulk procurement by government agencies and institutional buyers, mobilization of post-harvest facilities, and coordination with the NFA to boost buying capacity.
Also present during the meeting were Gov. Dakila Carlo Cua of Quirino province and president of the Governors League of the Philippines, Gov. Rodito Albano of Isabela, and Mayor Inno Dy of Echague, Isabela, and president of the Mayors League of the Philippines.