The Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to disapprove or defer the proposed P200 legislated wage hike for minimum wage earners, set to be deliberated by both Houses of Congress in the coming weeks or months.

“We sincerely appeal and pray for His Excellency to 'defer' the approval and implementation of the said bill and any unilateral increase in wages until such time that the agriculture sector has fully recovered and achieved reasonable productivity and growth,” the letter, signed by the group’s president, Danilo Fausto, sent to the Office of the President on Wednesday, reads.

The group stressed that the Congress decision last 3 June to approve the wage increase did not undergo consultation with the agricultural sector, most specifically the farmers and fisherfolks who are painstakingly working to make a daily living to survive and produce food for our people.

In so doing, the group maintained that Congress failed to take into consideration the implications and effect of the said wage increase bill on the lives and welfare of farmers and fisherfolks.

“While we are not against any wage increase to uplift the income of our workers, our farmers and fisherfolks, because of the very nature of their livelihood, they will not be covered by any wage increases. However, farmers and fisherfolks will be greatly affected by increases in prices of prime commodities brought about by upward wage adjustments,” the group explained.

Also, they pointed out that the agriculture sector has suffered a growth decline of 1.6 percent during the year 2024, and it is bad timing to increase wages while the sector is anguishing.

Further, they said that the development of the agriculture value chain and supply chain to develop the agriculture sector will be greatly hampered as operational costs will discourage any investments and expansion due to the wage increase.

Earlier, Malacañang vowed that they will study the negative economic impact of the said measure and that all sides of the stakeholders will be considered.