Saturday, April 19, 2008; Posted: 12:17 AM
URDANETA, Apr 18, 2008 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- -- The city government has taken steps to protect local consumers in the face of the looming food crisis, particularly on rice, Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. said on Thursday.
Perez met farmer leaders and appealed to them not to sell all their rice produce so that they have something to eat during the coming lean months from June to September.
He made the appeal because of the practice of farmers of selling all their produce after the rice harvest season for them to be able to buy their needs.
Urdaneta is one of the top rice producers in Pangasinan with farmers planting even third crop rice due to the abundance of irrigation water.
I told farmers that they better be wiser now as the food crisis has just started, he said, pointing out the high cost of commercial rice now.
Perez revealed that middlemen are going to the farmers and offering them to buy their rice at a high of P19.50 per kilo in order to entice sellers.
At the same time, the mayor asked the National Food Authority to sell rice in six selected barangays here where there are many indigents.
He asked the barangay captains in these villages to identify indigent families to whom NFA will directly sell three kilos of rice to each family.
All households here were also encouraged by Perez to plant any kind of food crops in their backyard or any available land for them to be able to cushion the impact of food crisis, particularly on rice.
Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. said it is only by producing their own food crops that marginal families can weather the impending food crisis due to the increasing prices of commodities.
He said the city government is buying hybrid vegetable seeds, in addition to the seeds produced at its own nursery for distribution to all households in the city.
Every household must plant and produce their own food for their survival as the food crisis appear to be getting deeper.
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