United Nationalist Alliance party senatorial candidate Jejomar Binay on Monday urged the government to include fruit and vegetable farmers in its fuel subsidy program in order to keep food prices affordable.
The former vice president said fruit and vegetable farmers have to shoulder higher fuel costs for transporting their products. He added these farmers are also suffering from the high price of fuel, but they cannot raise the price of their product.
“Government should include them in the fuel subsidy program which is only limited to corn farmers and fisherfolks using motorized bancas,” he said.
In March, the government started distributing P6,500 fuel subsidies to over 377,000 qualified public utility vehicle drivers and operators to help alleviate their plight due to the series of price hikes on fuel brought by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The subsidy could be claimed through cash cards issued by the Landbank of the Philippines that can be used in accredited fuel stations.
Binay said the government should set aside P1.1 billion as fuel subsidy for farmers and fisherfolks.
He also said government should expand its programs to buy directly from farmers and shoulder the cost of transportation and delivery.
“Let’s make it a form of subsidy, where government agencies transport and deliver to consumers instead of middlemen,” Binay said.
“These are just a few of the ways to help our farmers and ensure that food prices are affordable for everyone,” he added.
Earlier, Binay asked government to develop alternative and indigenous sources of fertilizers to help farmers maintain or increase their incomes and prevent sudden hikes in food prices.
Fertilizer prices are expected to go up as economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine include ammonia, processed phosphates, and urea. This would, in turn, lead to an increase in the prices of fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers.