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Benguet farmers broke

Blame import lib on woes since 2002

BAGUIO CITY (Nov. 23) — Since 2002, the income of Benguet farmers is not enough and they have been even recording losses, according to university professor Ruth Sidchogan-Batani of the Tebtebba Foundation Research Desk, in discussing the plight of Benguet indigenous women at an international forum here.

In the Study Session on Indigenous Women and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) at the Pines View Hotel here where Batani presented her paper on the impacts of the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), she mentioned that a study among Benguet farmers before and after vegetable importation showed that around 75% earn incomes not enough to support their households.

Majority of the respondents claimed that before July 2002 when vegetable importation was not yet allowed, they were earning enough.

Batani also cited a separate report from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) which highlighted a negative 3% performance of semi-temperate vegetables and fruits grown in Benguet and Mountain Province in 2002.

Batani’s study showed that before importation only 4.76% of vegetable farmers studied earned P5,000 to P10,000 monthly but earners in the bracket rose to 47.61% after importation. Before importation, 38.08% earned lower than P50,000. Majority of the respondents, or 83.32%, earned less than P50,000 after importation.

While 61.88 earned more than P50,000 before 2002, with 23.80% earning P40,001 to P50,000 and around 38% earned higher than P50,000 before imported vegetables came in, only 2.38% earned higher than P50,000 after July 2002.

Culprit: WTO’s AoA

Batani’s respondents point to vegetable importation as the main culprit. Batani however said, “The entry of the Philippines into the globalization bandwagon, specifically in the Agreement on Agriculture in 1995 puts the vegetable industry on a very weakened and uncertain position.”

The Department of Agriculture admitted that the so-called “high value crops” like potatoes, cabbages, among others, will have an uncertain future due to competition from imported produce.

Liberalization, according to Batani, started to be felt in 2002 with a sudden drop in prices of vegetables from Benguet and Mt. Province at a time when these were supposed to command better prices.

“This (vegetable importation) is a concrete expression of the negative effects of the country’s entry into the World Trade Organization via the AoA,” Batani stressed.

Similarly, Mila Lingbawan, Apit Tako’s (Alliance of Peasants in the Cordillera Homeland) deputy secretary-general agreed with Batani that importation has adversely influenced vegetable farmers. However, Lingbawan said that the AoA also manifests in the high price of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, equipment and other farm implements, thus, negatively impacts not only on Benguet farmers but also on other farmers.

Lingbawan said that because of import liberalization, there is no limit to the volume of imported agricultural products entering our shores.

“Dati may tariff duties ang mga imported goods, ngayon, libre na ang mga itong pumasok,” (Before, the government collects tariff duties on all imported goods, now these enter freely) Lingbawan explained.

Apit Tako chairperson Julian Gayumba, a farmer from Mankayan. Benguet, relates that farmers in Brgy. Bulalakaw dumped tons of lettuce in the second quarter this year and utilized other farm produce as fertilizers because they could not compete with very low farm gate prices of their produce.

During the time of the Lepanto workers’ strike Mankayan farmers supported by giving free vegetables.

“Maymayat ta nakatulong kadagiti pamilya ti mangmangged ngem ti malungtot no saan ket malugi pay iti linnakuan,” (It’s better that it relieved the workers’ families than left to rot, if not lose in the market) Gayumba told Nordis.

Meanwhile, some farmers have been trying to revert to organic farming as a reaction to the increasing costs of farm inputs. Apit Tako interviewed farmers on organic farming and found that it takes at least three years for farmers to regain soil fertility.

“Dakkel a sakripisyo daytoy,” (This entails a great sacrifice) our informant disclosed, adding that the yield may be lesser in the first years of the experimentation. However, he is optimistic that organic farming would be beneficial to both farmers and the environment.

Batani’s research covered three communities, namely Loo and Togtogyong in Buguias town, and Paoay in Atok, all in Benguet.

Participants in the study session on IP women and CEDAW included delegates from Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam and the Philippines. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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