Friday, July 18, 2008 PB backs small planters' call vs fertilizers' cost
THE Provincial Board (PB) of Negros Occidental supported the call of small and medium sugar planters in Negros for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to order an immediate probe on the alleged 'killer' cost of fertilizers in the country today.
In a resolution authored by Board Member Adolfo Mangao of the 5th District, who also chairs the PB committee on agriculture, it said the PB of Negros Occidental is 100 percent supportive of various farmers' groups in requesting the President to take an immediate action and look into the soaring prices of fertilizers and other chemical-based farm inputs.
Current price of fertilizers ranged from P1,600 to P1,800 per sack.
The PB said if the National Government won't act on the problem of exorbitant fertilizer price, this could result to serious repercussions in the future of agricultural farms.
"It's really high time now that the government should address this problem and conduct probe on the alleged cartel on the sale of fertilizers, especially the reason behind, before it will spark a more serious problem in the future," the PB said.
Unifarms, along with other groups of small and medium sugar planters in Negros, will also stage on Saturday an indignation rally at the Bacolod City Public Plaza.
This as Unifarms president Naddie Arceo said: "We need to act now and dramatize our vehement protest against the spiraling cost of fertilizers before it will cause great havoc to the sugar industry."
Arceo projected that if prices of fertilizers would remain higher compared to the actual price of sugar, which is only P1,000 to P1,100 per sack, then 75 percent of sugar industry production would be greatly affected.
"Thousands of farm laborers will also suffer from hunger," Arceo said.
Aside from the PB, Governor Isidro Zayco and six Negros congressmen also vowed to help small and medium planters in asking President Arroyo and the Department of Agriculture (DA0 to conduct immediate actions against the unabated increase in the cost of fertilizers. (EAD)
