Farmers in Isabela province are asking the Department of Agriculture (DA) to give priority to agricultural development and rehabilitation of farm lands devastated by recent storms.

They also ask DA Secretary Arturo Yap to stand by his promise to buy 300,000 metric tons of rice and grain from the Cagayan Valley region.

Instead of importing grain, government should set aside agricultural budget to support local agricultural products and help farmers recoup losses from recent storms, they said.

Cagayan Valley farmers produce 700,000 MT of palay and corn in September and October, they said.

Farmer groups, traders and non-government organizations in Isabela claimed that Yap pledged to set a ceiling buying price for corn at P10 to P12.50 per kilogram but prices plunged to P3 per kg for wet corn and P5 to R7.30 per kg for dry corn.

The farmers complained of not being able to sell their produce to millers at good value because they have to compete with government’s cheaper import grains.

Isabela farmers said they lost at least P50 million worth agricultural products in the wake of storms Ondoy and Pepeng.

“Our produce of rice and corn here started to drop to record low prices due to the government imports rice and corn sold in various markets,” the farmers said.