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Benguet farmers wait for big share with ‘pa-supply’ system

BAGUIO CITY (Nov. 24) — Profit is the primary reason why any one is in business.

Vegetable farmers in Benguet Province seem to be always at the losing side due to various agricultural systems. There are three namely: the commonly-used “pa-supply”, the “kontrata” and the per day systems. Based on these systems, farmers rely mainly on the market price of the vegetables they produce.

According to 12 farmers interviewed by NORDIS at the La Trinidad trading post, the pa-supply system is widely adopted by farmers because of greater possibility of a good share as long as harvest and market price are favorable. In a separate interview with the peasant alliance APIT-TAKO, there are evolving players and production arrangements in the vegetable industry that put the farm worker or the small farmer-landowner at the mercy of middlemen and a new type of landlord-capitalists.

Pa-supply system

According to Mr. Candido Pilapil, 42, a Bakun farmer and Mr. Marvin Cabading, 47, a farmer of Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet, almost all Benguet farmers prefer the pa-supply sytem despite many losses because they believe there will be a time for “big shot” or good share. “Kasla sugal daytoy, adda malas adda met suwerte”. (It’s like gambling, sometimes you lose, sometimes you win)

With this system, agricultural inputs are provided by the supplier-financier like, fertilizers, pesticides, food and camp for the farmers to stay. Usually, two or three farmers are hired depending on the size of the land. Farmers tend the vegetables until harvest time, and they also deliver the produce to the market, they added.

After the vegetables are sold, the supplier-financier deducts all expenses from the gross income including the rent of the delivery vehicle and the rest will be shared by the farmers and the supplier. Thus, with a good harvest and good market price, the farmers expect good share. Low harvest and low price mean little share or none at all, the farmers lamented.

Kontrata system

According to APIT-TAKO, in the kontrata system are various types of landowners, based on land area. A farmer may own the land but he has no access to capital thus he depends on a contractor or a supplier for his land to be productive. Or a landowner may own a substantial size of land and leave the entire production and marketing processes to a contractor. Thus the contractor and the landowner agree on the contract price inclusive of labor and inputs until the harvest period.

According to Lyndon Iyongan, 33, a farmer of La Trinidad who worked with this system at Sinipsip, Bugiuas from 2001 to 2003, Alfredo Basatan, 37, a farmer from Sayangan, Atok, and Florentina Agayo, 36, from Central Buguias, the contractor enters into an agreement with the farmer-landowner regarding the price of working the field until harvest time based on land area. They cited cases where the landowner spends for half the amount stated in the contract plus all other things except for the viand which the contractor pays for.

The contractor then hires one or two farm workers and he provides food for them until the harvest period. Then the landowner, accompanied by the contractor and hired workers deliver the produce to the market and settle payments or balance stated in the contract.

The contractor is not at all affected by the market price of the vegetables, thus if the price is low, the landowner, again based on the size of his land, may be at a losing end because the gross income may not cover all the expenses he paid the contractor. “Saan nga maabak ti contractor ditoy no nalaing isu nga mangpresyo” (The contractor does not lose as long as he knows his price well). They added that the share may not be as big as what one can get with the pa-supply system, “no nagsuwerte da” (If they’re lucky).

Per day sytem or por dia

This system is hardly adopted by the farmers these days because of low wages, according to Nellia Nato, 47, and .Angelito Nabaysa, 48, both farmers of Bakun and Seferino Wakit, 42, of Kabayan, Benguet. They said only those new to the place and seeking for jobs are forced into this system. In the por dia system, there is discrimination on the part of women because they are paid P120 only compared to men who receive P140 to 160 for same working hours. The farmers said “Agasem, nababa la garud ti suweldo, malugi ka pay iti oras,” adding that farmworkers must work 10 to 11 hours a day without overtime pay.

APIT –TAKO said that in this system, if harvest and market price are good, the landowner, especially the new type or big ones, or in most cases, the middlemen, take all the profit, leaving the farmworker with a meager daily income. But Nato and companions said some landowners would at times give P500 to 1000.00 each as incentives to their workers if the vegetables commanded a good price.

Mr. Juanito Densen, 57, is an example of a farmer-landowner from Kabayan , Benguet who, before working in his field, thinks of what system he wants, but most of the time ends up with the pa-supply system where the supplier-financier will take care of everything he needs and he is spared of expenses. But he knows he is in a losing situation yet is not dismayed because he and his family have to survive.” Uray kasano ti rigat, problema nga masango, tuloy latta ti trabaho tapno agbiag kami”. Densen added that farmers like him are still waiting and challenging the government to grant them parcels of land under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) as they have been working the land for more than 30 years now. # Johnny Fialen for the NORDIS

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