BUSINESS
Tillers enjoy high farmgate prices
‘These prices are the highest yet since 2019 even as the harvest in the entire region is only 35 percent complete. We expect the harvest to be finished by end of November or early December’
The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday said farmers in Region 4-A (Calabarzon) are still enjoying high farmgate prices for palay despite delays in harvesting their pahabol crop to recover from the losses of their wet season crop due to typhoons and the habagat.
The farmgate prices are at P16 to P19 per kilo for fresh palay, and P21 to P23 per kilo for dry.
"Since 2019, these prices are the highest yet even as the harvest in the entire region is only 35 percent complete. We expect the harvest to be finished by end of November or early December," said Maricris Ite, regional rice focal person of DA-RFO 4A.
Planting delayed
Harvest began in the latter part of October for some areas of the region except for Quezon province where planting was delayed because of the release of irrigation water, she said.
As for the expected yield, Ite said that based on Philippine Statistics Authority data, this would increase by six percent in the whole region "because Calabarzon received huge support from the fertilizer donation from China and additional funds reaching nearly P113 million released by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.."
Typhoons and habagat (monsoon) rains totally damaged around 2,000 hectares of paddies and partially damaged another 5,000 hectares, Ite said.
Calabarzon has a total of 52,000 hectares planted to rice, almost 10 percent of which were damaged and for which a quick turnaround (or pahabol) planting was undertaken.
Avert impact of El Niño
Irrigated areas in Laguna and Cavite are now planting the dry season crop to avert the impact of El Niño during the harvest of the first quarter of 2024.
The regional field office is distributing inputs, biofertilizers and organic fertilizers and by this month, the RFO will be giving out fertilizer discount vouchers, Ite said.
For non-irrigated areas, she said, we have been informing the farmers as early as June to diversify to high value crops, vegetables and corn, and livestock. "We have also been distributing seeds and seedlings to the farmers so they can plant after completing their harvest," Ite said.
Price should not exceed P48/k
On the other end, DA spokesman Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said market retail prices of locally milled rice should not exceed P48 a kilo.
De Mesa said this is because the prevailing price of regular rice is at P41/kg while well-milled rice is at P45/kg as the local harvest season continues.