Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
'Asa masyado sa import': Gov't urged to boost local production amid fuel crisis
Philippines
National
'Asa masyado sa import': Gov't urged to boost local production amid fuel crisis
'Asa masyado sa import': Gov't urged to boost local production amid fuel crisis
By Jel Santos
Published Apr 7, 2026 02:32 pm
(MB FILE PHOTO)
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Tuesday, April 7, urged the government to strengthen local agricultural production, warning that heavy reliance on imports is worsening food insecurity amid the ongoing fuel crisis.
In a statement, the group said the country’s long-standing dependence on imported food and farm inputs has exposed the agriculture sector to global price shocks, particularly as fuel and fertilizer costs continue to rise.
“These conditions have left the local agriculture vulnerable to global price shocks, with fertilizer and other key inputs largely controlled by foreign corporations. Basic support systems such as irrigation, storage, and processing facilities also remain insufficient, keeping productivity low and costs high,” KMP Secretary General Ronnie Manalo said.
The farmers’ noted that the country continues to rely heavily on rice importation, estimated at 3.8 to 5.1 million metric tons (MTT), with projections reaching as high as 5.5 MMT.
Citing data from the Department of Agriculture, the group said rice imports are projected to rise to 5.1 MMT, up 15.9 percent from 4.40 MMT in the previous year despite a slight increase in domestic output.
“Importation is not the solution to the rising fuel and fertilizer costs. The worsening situation brought about the US-Israel war in the Middle East is now forcing farmers and fisherfolk to scale down or halt operations altogether,” said Manalo.
“Agricultural traders are cutting down procurement and transport, tightening supply and pushing food prices further beyond consumers’ reach,” he went on.
Also, he said that long-standing policies have weakened local agriculture and increased vulnerability to external shocks.
Manalo said decades of import dependence have weakened the country’s agriculture sector.
“It has displaced local producers and made our food system more vulnerable to global crises. Tiyak na epekto ng fuel crisis ang mas malubhang krisis sa pagkain at kagutuman ng mamamayan (The sure consequence of the fuel crisis is a worsening food crisis and hunger among the people),” he said.
“What we are seeing now is the result of decades of neglect and wrong policies.”
According to KMP, real food security can only be achieved by strengthening local production amid the ongoing crisis.
The group noted that the country’s food crisis is rooted in policies that liberalized imports and reduced state support for local producers, resulting in declining domestic output and unstable food supply.
The group urged the government to implement both immediate and long-term measures, including production subsidies of up to P50,000 per cropping for rice farmers, monthly subsidies for fisherfolk, and price controls on fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, rice, and other basic goods.
As such, the group called for the removal of taxes on oil, expansion of public procurement through the National Food Authority, release of buffer stocks to stabilize rice prices, and increased investment in irrigation, storage, drying, and processing facilities.
KMP further pushed for tighter regulation of large traders and importers to prevent price manipulation.
For long-term reforms, the group called for the reversal of import liberalization policies, strengthening of the NFA’s role in procurement and price stabilization, development of a national fertilizer industry, implementation of agrarian reform, and advancement of national industrialization.
“Food security cannot be achieved through importation. It must be built on a strong domestic agriculture sector fully supported by the state,” Manalo said.