A farmers’ group on Saturday urged the government to provide fertilizer subsidies to farmers to offset rising raw material costs along with oil price hikes.
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura or SINAG lamented that the price of urea fertilizer has increased by as much as P1,500 per bag, or about P90,000 to P120,000 per hectare, from about P60,000 before the US-Iran war.
SINAG executive director Jayson Cainglet said in a radio interview that farmers are not seeking direct cash aid but targeted support to help sustain production.
“We’ve been saying this all along, we do not want aid. What farmers are asking for is support for their farming, help with their expenses,” Cainglet said in Filipino.
The group proposed the distribution of fertilizer vouchers to allow farmers to directly purchase inputs. The level of support needed per hectare was estimated at P30,000.
The Department of Agriculture earlier sought an additional P30 billion from the national government to fund fertilizer assistance and other subsidies amid rising fuel costs.
The agency is also implementing the P10 billion Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program to cushion the impact of higher production costs.
In addition, the department has tapped its P1 billion quick response fund following the declaration of a state of national energy emergency last month.