Tabuk seed coops hit DA for delay in payment of P12M

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The three rice seed growers’ cooperatives in this city are up in arms against the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region Field Unit (DA-CARFU) for the delay in the payment of P12M worth of rice certified seeds they delivered in December and January under the government’s seed subsidy program.

Members of the Kalinga Hybrid Rice Seed Growers’ Multi-purpose Cooperative (KHRSGMPC), the Tabuk Hybrid Rice Seed Growers’ Multi-purpose Cooperative (THRSGMPC) and the Sumyaan Organic Farmers’ Multi-purpose Cooperative (SOFMPC) could not understand why the DA-CARFU is taking too long to pay when the deliveries were under the seed subsidy program of the government.

“We are assuming that since there is a program, there is a fund. In reality, we are having a hard time collecting. The DA-CARFU Accounting Division is now saying that there is no cash,” said Jesse Rey Cuaresma, manager of the KHRSGMPC which still has to collect the payment for 5,013 bags amounting to P6M.

So far, the DA-CARFU has only paid the KHRSGMPC for the first purchase order dated March 6 P1.3M for 966 bags of rice certified seeds. It has also made initial payments to the other two cooperatives.

The cooperatives are wondering how come the payments are being made in installments when the procurement was done through the bidding process.

“Since it was done through bidding, there should only be one purchase order,” Cuaresma said adding that following up the POs cost money as the DA-CARFU is located in Baguio City.

A member of the SOFMPC who does not want to be identified is also angry that the DA-CARFU Accounting Division is saying it cannot as yet pay the deliveries because the documents for the distribution of the certified seeds to farmer beneficiaries by their LGUs are not in order. The cooperative still has to collect P2.4M from the DA.

“Why should we suffer for the mistakes or shortcomings of others? We have delivered our seeds and the delivery is duly acknowledged by the end users. We have already submitted the delivery receipt, the seed analysis and the bill of collection for the whole delivery and that should be enough for them to pay the whole amount,” the member said.

He added that if the DA-CARFU does not improve its system, the cooperative may choose to do business with Regions 1 and 2 in the coming seasons.

The major reason why the area for the growing of F1 or hybrid rice seed in the city has steadily gone down from 800 hectares in 2004 to a mere 130 hectares this cropping season is the delay in the payment of the seed deliveries which sometimes lasted as long as one year.

This did not happen while the funds for the F1 procurement program of the government was still in the hands of the Philrice. The procurement responsibility was transferred to the DA-CARFU in 2004.

THRSGMPC President Eusebio Orprecio agrees that it is much better to do business with the DA in Regions 1 and 2 than with the DA-CARFU saying that it only takes a month to collect from the two regional offices.

“We really cannot understand what’s the matter with DA-CARFU since the DA is using only one set of procurement guidelines,” Orprecio said.

Orprecio is also wondering how come at this point when the harvest is just around the corner, DA-CARFU still has not conducted seed matching sessions ”so we will know if they will buy our seeds or not.”

“DA Region 1 has already called me to go sign a MOA with them,” Orprecio informed. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Tabuk chief agriculturist bats for equal subsidy for rice seeds

TABUK CITY, KALINGA – City Agriculturist Gilbert Cawis rued the decision of the leadership of the Department of Agriculture of giving 50 percent subsidy for hybrid rice seeds and 100 percent subsidy for inbred seeds this current cropping saying that with the decision, the government has missed a golden opportunity to promote hybrid rice.

This, according to him, is rather ironic because hybrid rice is being touted as the salvation of the country from its chronic rice shortage.

“Had they consulted us in the grassroots level, we would have told them that the percentage of the subsidy should be equal. What happened was that because the inbred seeds were given free, the farmers opted to plant inbred varieties instead of the better yielding hybrid varieties. They should listen to us because we directly deal with the clientele doing the actual planting,” Cawis said.

Cawis said that although local farmers usually get 10-15 percent higher yield by planting hybrid rice, they chose the inbred varieties not only because they were free but because they also get good harvest with certified inbred rice seeds.

“What could have tipped the balance in favor of hybrid seeds is if the percentage of subsidy were equal,” Cawis said.

In the same token, Cawis is not in favor of the DA’s plan of giving P1,500.00 and P600.00 subsidy for hybrid and inbred seeds, respectively, this next cropping. He said that amounts to 50 percent subsidy for inbred seeds. On the other hand, while it may also be 50 percent for hybrid seeds produced by the government, it could only be 33 percent in the event farmers choose hybrid seeds produced by private companies.

Cawis also expressed his vehement disapproval of the practice of importing rice saying that instead of importing, the government should increase palay support price because the higher price will have the effect of increasing domestic production.

He cited the time in 2007 when palay prices went beyond P20.00 per kilo in the market and P17.00 in the NFA saying that many farmers in the city immediately cultivated their ricefields after harvesting and even planted rice in areas previously used for other crops.

He said the farmers were disappointed because the following harvest, the price went down due to factors foremost of which is importation of rice.

“It’s not bad to import but the volume should be limited to what we really need and should not be stocked. What is important is when farmers sell their palay, they should gain and not lose,” Cawis said. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW

Some rice traders in Tabuk City stop buying palay

Tabuk City, Kalinga - As the prices of rice in the country continue their upward climb, the prices of palay (unhusked rice) in this city have started a steep downward trend dashing the hopes of farmers for a higher income this cropping season.

From all time highs of P17.00 per kilo for fresh palay and PI 8.50 per kilo for dried palay last week, the prices have gone down to P15.00 and P16.50 for fresh and dried palay, respectively, as of this writing.

Worse, half of the local rice traders have stopped buying palay starting early this week alleging the instability of palay prices which they claimed started to manifest starting last weekend when nearly everyday the price in the market went down by as much as P0.50 per kilo a day.

Maxell Co of the Maxell Rice Mill in Magsaysay, this city, alleged that according to their sources, as of press time the price of fresh palay in Isabela where they sell their stocks is PI5.00 per kilo.

"The stocks in my warehouse were bought at P16.00 per kilo so I will be in trouble if the price keeps going down," Co said adding that from what he heard, the downtrend of palay prices in the market is due to the coming into play of the law of supply and demand because of the simultaneous harvest in many places in the country.

Daryl Estranero of the Universal Grains Center in Bulanao Norte, this city, on the other hand claimed that the price in Isabela plunged from P16.00 to P14.50 on April 15 when it rained there so he had no choice but to stop buying.

He also said that one other reason he has stopped buying is that with a large volume of palay already being harvested in many parts of Isabela, the big time rice traders there have tightened their classification procedures.

"We stopped buying because the price is unstable. We thought that the price would stabilize at the new level but we were wrong. It is possible that the price will go back to normal which is P9.40 to P9.70 for fresh and P12.00 for dry," Estranero said.

Regarding the accusation of farmers that local traders are cartelized, Estranero said that they have an organization but the purpose is to maintain uniformity of prices among them and not to take advantage of farmers.

He also denied the speculation of farmers that the local palay traders agreed among themselves to stop buying as a prelude to bringing down the prices declaring that they are just following the current prices in the market because if they don't, they will incur losses.

As for the allegation that local palay traders are preventing outside buyers to deal directly with farmers, Estranero said that local traders pay their taxes and .that there are many farmers who run to the buying stations for their farm inputs.

"There is no problem if outside buyers go directly to the farmers except that it is to us the farmers come to when they are in need," Estranero said.

He challenged the complaining farmers to just put up their own trading business and see if they could take the pressure of the volatile palay trading. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr.

Tabuk City hog raisers fail to make the most of current hog supply shortage

Tabuk City, Kalinga - The hog supply shortage brought about by the recent hog epidemic which originated from Bulacan and spread to other parts of Luzon including the Cagayan Valley and Kalinga has jacked up live and dressed weight prices here.

City Veterinarian Fermin Quinto said that around 20 percent of the hog population in the city was lost due to the infection of hog cholera, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and the circo virus disease.

But according to Quinto, despite the crisis, local hog raisers as usual are not getting the most from their production because local meat vendors are reluctant to let them.

Quinto told the media that while meat vendors from Cagayan and Isabela now going around the city looking for hogs are buying at P90.00 to P95.00 per kilo, local meat vendors are buying hogs at P85.00 to P90.00 and that's even after they have raised the price of lean pork meat to P140.00 from the P130.00 set by City Ordinance No. 04, series of 2004.

Quinto also said it is doubtful if during the present crisis the local meat vendors will stop their notorious practices of not paying hog raisers right away and returning the parts of the hog which are hard to sell such as the head, feet and belly to the hog raiser at the dressed weight price.

Quinto said that hog raisers are partly to blame for the shabby treatment they are receiving from the meat vendors because they could not put up a united stand relative to the local meat vendors.

"For many years now, we have been telling them to organize so they could have a strong bargaining position with the vendors but none of the several organizations they have set up without assistance ever became operational," Quinto said.

Quinto added that they have stressed to the hog raisers that the best thing they could do is not to remain mere producers but also to slaughter and process their hogs so they could dictate the price but the hog raisers are not heeding the advice.

Asked for their side, Tabuk Market Meat Vendors Association (TMMVA) Vice President Elizabeth Castillo denied that they have raised pork prices claiming that P140.00 per kilo is the legal price.

She explained that prior to the current hog supply shortage when there was an over-supply of hogs they have been selling meat at as low as P120.00 per kilo.

Castillo rued that when it's the live weight price of hogs which are hiked, it goes unnoticed but when it's the prices of pork which are raised, the public and hog raisers raise a howl.

She said that the TMMVA are planning to raise the prices of pork to PI 50.00 per kilo so that they could compete with the outside meat vendors who are buying at as high as P100.00 per live weight kilo.

Regarding the issue of parts .of hogs being returned by buying meat vendors to hog raisers, Castillo said that no member in the TMMVA is involved except in the case of sows but then again, it is only when the hog raiser consents.

Anticipating that the hog raisers will not respond to fresh calls for them to sit down to plan and formulate strategies to successfully deal with the meat vendors, Quinto only gave them the practical advice not to sell the hogs they are fattening which are not yet of market weight of 90 to 120 kilos so they could maximize their investment.

Regarding the hog epidemic, Quinto said that his office has not received any report of an incident since mid-March in the wake of the information campaign, distribution of disinfectants which were provided by the Department of Agriculture and massive vaccination undertaken by his office. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr.

Tabuk City agri official sees increased subsidy to rice farmers as solution to shortage

Tabuk City, Kalinga - The top agri official of this city, dubbed the "Rice Granary of the Cordillera," says that the government is in the right track when it recently increased the government palay support price to PI7.00 per kilo and likewise the subsidy for seeds.

City Agriculturist Gilbert Cawis believes that in the end, the increase of government subsidy to rice farmers will solve the rice shortage because it encourages the latter to maximize the yield of their farmlands.

“The higher NFA (National Food Authority) price for palay is expected to raise the buying price by private traders and the bigger seed subsidy is another morale-booster for farmers both of which have the effect of making the farmer produce more rice," Cawis said.

According to Cawis, this cropping season, the government has increased the subsidy for hybrid seeds from P1,000.00 to P1,500.00 per bag and for in-bred varieties from P440.00 to P600.00 per bag.

Cawis said that another reason the government should increase subsidy to the rice farming sector is the skyrocketing of farm input prices.

He suggested that the government should address this concern by giving free compost fertilizers to farmers because not only is organic fertilizer cheaper but it is also environmentally friendly unlike inorganic fertilizers which make the soil acidic.

The agricultural official believes that although most farmers prefer commercial fertilizers due to the easier application and quicker results, "they will use compost fertilizer if this is given free."

A check with palay traders in the locality showed that at the moment when the current crop is starting to come in, the price of fresh palay is P16.50 per kilo and dried palay at P18.70 a kilo, the highest ever in the history of Tabuk Valley.

Cawis also said that the government should also control the importation of rice because if rice floods the market, the tendency is for the price of palay to revert to old levels to the detriment of the farmers.

With its 10,000 hectares of irrigated rice lands, the Tabuk Valley is the foremost rice producer in the Cordillera. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr.

NFA denies there is rice shortage in Kalinga

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The National Food Authority (NFA) here denied the allegation of the business sector that this province is experiencing a rice shortage.

The business sector points to the abnormally high price of commodity and the limited supplies of the local rice millers as indicators of the allege short supply of rice. From an average of P900.00 – P1,000.00 per bag of rice is now selling at as high as P1,250.00 per bag.

However, NFA provincial manager Eduardo Mercado asked how there could be rice shortage in a surplus area which harvest 3M bags of palay and consumes only 400,000 of rice.

He also cites the latest survey of the Bureau of Statistics which indicates that there are still 61,000 bags of rice in households in the province which he says is a sizeable volume of rice reserve.

Mercado explains the high price of rice in the province as a result of undisciplined businessmen taking advantage of the situation.

“Due to the drought which affected Northern Luzon from May to August, the planting has been delayed in Region 2 which produces 40 percent of the rice yield in the country resulting in a decrease in the supply of palay and milled rice. With the limited supply, naturally, the law of supply and demand come into play, thus, the higher price of rice. The situation is made worse by businessmen who are not satisfied with small profits setting domino effect. This is a shameful mentality among us Filipinos,” Mercado said.

To remedy the situation, Mercado met with local rice retailers and millers on September 3 to appeal to their conscience and warn them that the NFA will strengthen its monitoring system and apprehend violators. He reported, however, that they have not apprehended anybody until now because, according to him, local retailers are good in hiding their illegal activities.

Mercado also said that they have fielded rolling stores to sell in Tabuk City markets four days a week “for visibility and availability of government rice and also to somewhat dampen the price of rice.”

Mercado said that they must be succeeding because the retailers have been complaining that the NFA is competing with them in the distribution of government rice.

Mercado said that the situation is about to stabilize because farmers in Rizal, Kalinga and also Isabela are starting to harvest their rice crops. **Estanislao Albano, Jr.

WB to repair upper Chico irrigation system

BAGUIO CITY – In the 70’s, the World Bank was set to fund a controversial multipurpose dam but was fiercely opposed by the tribal communities in Kalinga and Mountain Province.

The Chico River Basin Dam Project was halted after thousands of tribal men and women including the revered Kalinga leader Macli-ing Dulag fought the project then pushed by former strong­man Ferdinand Marcos.

Now, the WB is back with the repair of the Upper Chico River Irrigation System (UCRIS) starting soon with a P507 million loan to the Philippine government.

According to Kalinga Provincial Irrigation Management Office (K-PIMO) OIC Alfredo de Guzman Jr., the signing of the agreement between the WB and the government is expected this last quarter. He said the improvement work will be carried out until 2010, adding that the four-year repair of UCRIS will be jointly implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and K-PIMO.

Of the total project cost, De Guzman said P378.6 million will be spent on civil works where P218.4 million is allotted for the improvement of the canal system; P93.1 million on diversion works; P36.1 M on drainage facilities; P11.7 million on canal service roads; P15.7 million for farm level facilities; and P3.5 million for project facilities. Read more here...

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