Times have been tough for farmers lately. Since the implementation of the Rice Liberalization Law, palay rates have sunk below their average production cost and the average farm-gate price of unhusked rice has dropped to P12 to P14 per kilo from last year’s P20 thanks to tight competition from imported rice.
Consumer group Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI) also reports that farmers from Isabela, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Sorsogon and Bukidnon have claimed that palay prices have fallen to as low as P7 per kilo.
(READ: Imported rice are more common now than ever—to the detriment of our rice farmers)
Session Groceries, a Baguio-based online grocery that connects local farmers to consumers, hopes to change all of that for our rice farmers. Today, the app will be launching a pre-sale of local rice exclusively available on the app. Dinorado and sinandomeng rice varieties are priced at P45-50 per kilo, with most of the proceeds going to the farmers.
The first drop of rice pre-orders will be happening on Sept. 28, where the volunteer team behind Session Groceries will be meeting the farmers and the people who purchased rice. For now, the team behind the mobile app urged its customers to only transact pre-selling orders through the app.
“Session Groceries has been been on the field for the past four weeks, searching, talking, engaging, enrolling the farmers to reach the direct consumers of Manila. Let’s give them credit for doing the groundwork for us,” reads their Facebook post.
Learn more about how you can help our farmers through the Session Groceries Facebook page, or by downloading their app on Android and iOS.