PH’s farmers, fishers
IF many of the millions of small-time farmers and fishermen are poor and hungry, blame it partly on the presence of unscrupulous “middlemen” across the Philippines.
No less than President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself has vowed to explore ways to cut out the “middlemen” in the supply chain to allow farmers to earn more.
It is certainly saddening, lamentable and revolting to the senses that traders or “middlemen” buy the farmers’ products, such as palay, corn and vegetables, at low prices.
But these highly-enterprising traders, men and women, sell these products to retailers at very high prices, enabling them to amass wealth at the expense of the farmers.
“Kadalasan ay binabarat ng mga mapagsamantalang negosyante ang mga ani ng mga kawawang magsasaka at mangingisda,” according to a son of a rice farmer in Pangasinan.
“Kesa mabulok ang mga kamatis, talong at sibuyas ay pumapayag na silang ibenta sa middlemen ang mga ani nila sa napaka-murang halaga,” the wife of another farmer added.
That’s why various quarters thanked Sen. Robinhood Padilla for calling on concerned government agencies to farmers and fishers to become businessmen themselves.
Padilla asked these state agencies to help our farm workers organize themselves into cooperatives.
Specifically, the neophyte senator asked the Cooperative Development Authority to help farmers and fishermen in establishing cooperatives, particularly in the rural areas.
Sa mga liblib na pook ay nahihirapan ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda na dalhin sa bayan ang kanilang mga ani dahil sa kawalan ng transportasyon .
