Farmers reel from typhoon onslaught, low palay prices, insufficient state support

MANILA – Farmers in Northern Luzon are reeling from successive typhoons and plunging palay prices, warning that without substantial government support, their livelihoods and the nation’s food security are at stake.

“We spend so much on fertilizer and pesticides, plus other expenses during planting and harvesting,” said Julie Balangue, regional spokesperson of the Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation in a statement. 

Balangue said that this year, from Typhoon Crising up to Typhoon Paolo, their crops have been destroyed and when it is harvest time, the prices of palay would then be at its lowest. “We might as well die of hunger. How can we (farmers) sustain society if this is our situation every year?” she lamented. 

Farmers and fisherfolk continue to suffer from compounded hardships as successive typhoons, most recently Typhoon Paolo (also called Matmo in some reports), wreak havoc on their livelihoods, following the devastation brought by storms in July and September such as Crising, Dante, Emong, Ragasa/Nando, and Mirasol. Beyond the physical destruction of crops and infrastructure, their situation is worsened by what they decry as government neglect, delayed assistance, and policies that allow overwhelming competition from rice imports.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), agricultural and infrastructure losses due to recent typhoons, monsoon rains, and related disturbances have reached P1.38 billion ($23.46 million) as of late September, affecting 55,595 farmers and damaging 47,723 hectares. 

Damage estimates from other sources suggest the agricultural sector’s losses from combined storms and the southwest monsoon could be even larger, with reports of P2.51 billion ($42.67 million) in agricultural damage from cyclones and habagat. In one instance, initial damage from Tropical Depression Mirasol and Super Typhoon Nando alone were pegged at P565 million ($9.61 million), including P440.75 million ($7.49 million) in losses to the rice sector.

Recent reports show that storms earlier in 2025, Crising (Wipha), Dante (Francisco), Emong (Co-may), have battered Philippine agriculture across multiple regions, inflicting extensive crop loss, infrastructure damage, and disruption of supply chains. While the DA has sought to reassure the public that national rice stocks remain adequate, farmers remain unconvinced that these reassurances translate to relief on the ground.

The Marcos Jr. administration’s stopgap measures, such as the DA’s planned “emergency palay procurement” and a 60-day rice importation ban, have drawn criticism from farmer organizations who argue these will not undo the accumulated losses from 2025’s storm onslaught. Peasant advocates warned that these interventions are belated and insufficient.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) reported that across Luzon, wet palay is being sold for a mere P6 to P10 per kilo (less than $1), dry palay at P13 to P14. In Ilocos, STOP Exploitation’s data show averages of P7 for wet and P10 for dry. Meanwhile, Speaker Faustino Dy publicly noted palay being sold at P8 per kilo in some provinces, far below the P16 to P18 breakeven threshold.

“Instead of a 60-day rice importation ban, why not just stop importation altogether?” Balangue asked. 

“The reason we (farmers) are suffering losses and falling deeper into debt is the lack of sufficient production subsidies, which is further worsened by calamities. That’s also why we say the 60-day ban is meaningless, because the Rice Liberalization Law still exists. As long as it is not repealed, farmers will continue competing with imports,” she added. 

According to Balangue and the Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation, it has long been evident that farmers’ livelihoods are among the most vulnerable in every calamity, yet the government remains unprepared and without long-term solutions.

The group said palay should be bought at P20 per kilo to prevent farmers going bankrupt. It also called for P25,000 ($425) production subsidy, and the repeal of the Rice Tariffication Law.

“The administration should not say that what we (farmers) are asking for is too much. If it can allocate funds for anomalous projects, then it should all the more be able to provide funds for the development of the agricultural sector,” Balangue said. (AMU, RVO)Author’s note: $1 is equivalent to P58.10 as of Oct. 7 exchange rate.

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