Farms to Funeral: Bayambang Farmers Forced to End Their Lives Due to Onion Industry Struggles
In recent news, five farmers from Bayambang, Pangasinan have reportedly committed suicide due to their significant losses in onion farming. Elvin Jerome Laceda, president of the Young Farmers Challenge Club of the Philippines, disclosed this information during an inquiry by the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture on the rising prices of onions in the country. According to Laceda, the onion farmers who took their own lives were all from the same barangay in Bayambang.
One housewife, known only as Nanay Merle, testified that her husband committed suicide last year after their onion plantation was attacked by army worms. She explained that her husband had hoped to recoup their losses, which amounted to millions of pesos, but was unable to do so due to the importation of onions. Furthermore, the woman stated that they were also forced to sell their harvest to traders at very low prices.
Laceda also brought attention to the fact that while onions were being sold at P700 per kilo in Metro Manila, his group procured onions in Pangasinan for only P125 to P250 per kilo. He emphasized the need for traders to buy onions at fair prices to enable farmers to sustain their occupation.
Sen. Imee Marcos also reported that there were reports of onion farmers from Nueva Ecija and Pampanga committing suicide due to financial losses. Marcos believes that minimal importation of onions, done at the proper time with the right projection, could have prevented the unusually high prices. She also spoke out against the "treachery and manipulation" that contributed to the spike in onion prices.
Overall, this tragic event highlights the dire situation faced by many onion farmers in the Philippines and the need for fair prices and support for their livelihoods. It's a call for help for the farmers, who are facing a roller coaster ride in the prices of onions in the country and for the government to take action to help farmers and prevent such tragic event to happen again.
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