BILLIONS OF CORN PRODUCE IN CORDILLERA MAY GO TO WASTE

October 12, 2024 Provincial

Lack of market access, price cartel

CONSULTATION: Assistant Secretary Antonio Tabora, Jr, Presidential Assistant for Cordillera leads a Corn Cluster Consultative Meeting on Oct 11 at Colione Bed and Breakfast, Guisad, Baguio City. A number of corn farmers across the region attended the activity.

Photo by Jimmy Ceralde/ABN

BAGUIO CITY

Estimated hundred thousands metric tons worth billions of yellow corn produced in the Cordillera Region may just go to waste, resulting also to economic dislocation of thousands of farmers, unless the government will find an
immediate solution like market access. As this developed, to address regional agricultural concerns and issues . a Corn Cluster Consultative Meeting was conducted (Oct 11), initiated by Assistant Secretary Antonio Tabora, Jr, Presidential Assistant for Cordillera.

A consultant of Presidential Assistant for Cordillera vowed that it will coordinate with other concern agencies and also big companies that will buy local corn produced. In the meeting, corn farmers across the region especially in
Ifugao, Mt Province and Kalinga told mediamen that market access is their biggest problem as harvest period for the
second cropping (Oct-Nov) now in full swing. The issue of market access been plaguing farmers and sub-sectors in the agriculture industry for decades.

Price cartel allegedly by influential traders remain the biggest threat, shortchanging farmers’ income.
Local farmers complained that traders not only ‘’manipulate’ prices but also alleged traders control the scaling of the commodity loaded in big trucks. They (farmers) strongly requesting the putting up of Timbangan ng Bayan for transparency. Local farmers added that the current average maize farmgate price (Cordillera) ranges from P9
to P16 per kilo (good dry ). Average cost of production per hectare of corn at P70k.

It was learned that corn farmer average net income for one hectare per cropping pegged at P30k. Marivic Raginit, farmer from Paracelis, Mt Province, member of Bugnay Pack Farners Association, revealed 60 percent of maize from seven thousand hectares with estimated value at P400 million were already harvested out of the total nine thousand hectares dedicated for corn. In Alfonso Lista, Ifugao, Federico Kimayong estimated that P684 million worth of maize is under threat/ damaged if not sold in due time.

Though corn farmers appreciated government countless support through the agriculture department, however, appealed for more farm equipments such as dryers. The meeting has brought three govt regional line agencies–labor, social welfare and development and cooperative and informed their respective programs and projects in line with the administration’s convergence program. Gary De la Paz, of the newly created Interim Agricultural Cooperative Enterprise Development (ACED) also briefly discussed the mission of the said office.

Primo Agatep /ABN