‘There’s nothing we can do’: Filipino farmers abandon crops as fuel costs surge
PHILIPPINES: Filipino farmers are being pushed into an impossible situation, abandoning crops in their fields as surging fuel costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East make harvesting financially unviable.
Romeo Wagayan, a 57-year-old vegetable farmer in Benguet province, has chosen to leave his produce uncollected rather than incur further losses. As quoted by the South China Morning Post, he said: “There’s nothing we can do. If we harvest it, our losses only increase because of labour, transportation and packing costs.”
“We don’t earn anything from it. That’s why we decided not to harvest at all.”
For farmers like Wagayan, the decision is not one of convenience but of survival.
Rising oil prices deepen pressure on farmers
As reported by the SCMP, soaring costs driven by the Middle East conflict are placing immense strain on Filipino farmers. The Philippines remains particularly vulnerable to oil shocks due to its reliance on imported fuel, amplifying the impact on already fragile livelihoods.
Wagayan’s experience reflects a broader pattern among highland farmers. According to Agot Balanoy, an adviser at La Trinidad’s vegetable trading hub, many growers are now halting harvests altogether as buyers withdraw amid weak demand and rising costs.
Falling prices and weakening demand
Farmers are being squeezed from both ends — rising costs and collapsing prices. Balanoy explained, as shared by SCMP, that some buyers are cancelling or limiting purchases as consumers adjust to inflation by cutting back on vegetables and opting for cheaper, more filling alternatives such as instant noodles.
The numbers illustrate the severity of the crisis. It costs farmers between PhP18 (S$0.39) and PhP20 to produce a kilogram of cabbage, yet farmgate prices have dropped as low as PhP3, recently hovering between just 5 and 8 pesos per kilogram. Under such conditions, harvesting becomes an economic loss rather than a source of income.
Fuel costs ripple through the supply chain
The sharp rise in fuel prices has compounded the downturn, increasing the cost of transporting produce from mountainous farms to markets and driving up the price of essential inputs like fertiliser.
Arnold Capin, a 27-year-old vegetable farmer, described the burden plainly. “The increase in diesel prices has a really big impact on us, both during planting and harvesting,” he said, as quoted by the South China Morning Post.
Long delivery journeys often leave farmers with little to no earnings after sales. Capin added: “It’s frightening because you don’t know where you’ll get the money to buy food.”
Inflation accelerates the crisis
According to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, inflation in the Philippines rose to about 4.1% in March, up from 2.4% in February, driven largely by higher fuel prices.
Diesel prices surged by 59.5% compared with the previous year, while petrol rose by 27.3% — the fastest increases since September 2022, when global energy markets were disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This marked a sharp reversal from February, when diesel and petrol prices had declined.
For farmers already operating on thin margins, these increases have proven devastating.
Netizens react with frustration and concern
The crisis has also sparked strong reactions online, with many Filipinos expressing frustration and anxiety over the broader implications. One commenter pointed to structural issues in fuel pricing: “For context, we have an oil deregulation law in the Philippines that lets petroleum dealers set any price they want. They operate as an unofficial cartel. They justify high prices due to the high global commodity rates, which is fair enough, but they historically take months or years to roll back prices at the pump when global supplies stabilise, if ever. We love capitalism over here.”
Others warned of longer-term consequences. One remark read: “20 years from now, food supply, water and medicine are more valuable than oil.” Another comment, translated from Filipino, captured growing concern among farmers: “And then no one will plant crops because of increased fertiliser prices.”
Together, these voices echo the uncertainty felt across farming communities — where the decision to leave crops unharvested today may signal deeper challenges for food security tomorrow.
Read also: Australia secures assurance from Singapore, Japan, Korea for fuel supply amid crisis
This article (‘There’s nothing we can do’: Filipino farmers abandon crops as fuel costs surge) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.