Science Researcher Identifies Farmers’ Problems

The Filipino farmers are surrounded by farm problems. Which of those should be prioritized? How should rice program components take off? Which is the biggest bottleneck in rice farming?

Using a 10-year period data from 1996, Imelda Arida, science research specialist of the Socio-economics Division of PhilRice tracked the trends in the problems encoun-tered by the Filipino farmers. The study used the Integrated Farm House-hold Analysis Project data, a collaborative project of PhilRice and the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics.

High cost of inputs, low price of palay, lack of capital and postharvest facilities, labor problem, pests and diseases, and inadequate irrigation system are the main obstacles in rice production. Arida noted that lack of capital and pests and diseases significantly affect rice production during the wet season. Irrigation system, however, plays crucial role for both seasons.

For wet season, an estimated 0.10 percent to 0.12 percent reduction in production is expected for farmers who encounter problem with pests and diseases, and irrigation system, respectively. Farmers with inadequate water supply in the dry season will have 0.17 percent lower output.

Weird Shifts

There are unexpected results Arida observed. An upward shift in production was noted among farmers experiencing low price of palay and postharvest problems in the wet season as farmers must have optimized their production foreseeing said problems.

For the dry season, low price of palay and high cost of inputs had upward shifts to production. High input costs must have prompted farmers to optimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides, Arida explained. A number of farmers must have been using farm machines which significantly contributed to increase in production, she added.

However, this should not be interpreted that farmers are better off without postharvest facilities, with low prices of palay, and dizzying input prices.
Postharvest facilities, according to Drs. Arsenio N. Balisacan and Leocadio S. Sebastian account for 5 percent yield increase. Stabilizing palay and input prices can even increase further total production, said Arida.

Policy Directions

The study, according to Arida, is a good input in strengthening the Philippines’ rice program. Lack of capital, irrigation systems, and pests and diseases management are among the main obstacles in rice production.

An increasing trend is observed in the number of farmers having problems with water supply for rice farming. Pests and diseases contribute significantly to low yield, hence the focus on integrated pest management.
Lack of capital also remains persistent. Several programs in the past provided credit assistance to farmers but very little success was observed.

Addressing the problems of farmers, would contribute significantly in improving rice yield. Drs. Balisacan and Sebastian noted that irrigation aspect contributes to 25 percent increase in rice yield. Put together, this would be a good input to achieving rice self-sufficiency, concluded Arida.

PhilRice is a govern-ment-owned and controlled corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture. It aims to develop high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough high quality rice at lower cost for all Filipinos. /MP