“This happens every year—once harvest season comes, prices crash. Farmers can no longer recover their investment. Now, they can’t even sell their produce; they’re forced to give tomatoes away or throw them out. There must be immediate compensation for the farmers who have suffered losses.”

BULACAN – The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) has sounded alarm as tomato farmers struggle with plummeting farmgate prices of P3 to P4 per kilo, while market prices remain steep at P40 per kilo.

“Farmers bear the burden of production costs, yet they are the ones suffering the most losses. The Department of Agriculture and the government are doing nothing to ensure that farmers earn fair profits while keeping prices affordable for consumers,” said Danilo Ramos, KMP chairperson KMP and Makabayan senatorial candidate.

In Nueva Ecija, tomatoes are being sold for as low as P4 per kilo, while in Ilocos, prices have dropped even further to P3 per kilo. Yet, in retail markets, the price of tomato remainS steep at P40 per kilo, exposing a glaring price disparity. Just weeks ago, tomatoes were sold at P250 to P300 per kilo. Now, farmers are struggling with rock-bottom prices, often forced to sell at a loss—or give their produce away—just to avoid waste.

“This happens every year—once harvest season comes, prices crash. Farmers can no longer recover their investment. Now, they can’t even sell their produce; they’re forced to give tomatoes away or throw them out. There must be immediate compensation for the farmers who have suffered losses,” Ramos said.

Call for price stabilization and post-harvest facilities

Without price stabilization measures or adequate post-harvest facilities, farmers remain vulnerable to extreme price fluctuations. Farmer groups are calling for cold storage and food processing facilities to prevent oversupply from turning into financial ruin. However, they lament that despite long-standing promises of assistance from the Department of Agriculture, these commitments have yet to materialize.

“We have long been calling for price stabilization and post-harvest facilities to ensure that farmers’ hard work doesn’t go to waste. The government’s promises to help farmers market their produce are not enough. Immediate aid and compensation are needed,” Ramos emphasized.

Dofredo, a farmer from Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur, stressed the need for a fair farmgate price to ensure sustainability.

“The farmgate price of tomatoes should be set at no less than P10 per kilo. Right now, we’re only selling at P3 to P5 per kilo, which means huge losses for farmers. The current prices are unfair and unsustainable,” he said.

Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women blamed the Marcos Jr. administration for failing to address the drastic drop in tomato prices. The group argued that agricultural liberalization—where tariffs on imported agricultural products have been reduced —has resulted in the government abandoning its responsibility to protect farmers.

“The government and the DA are all talk when it comes to solving the food crisis, but here we are again—tomato prices in Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija have crashed due to traders’ manipulation. Just last month, tomatoes were being sold at excessively high retail prices. Without a doubt, the government and the DA are useless, and Tiu-Laurel is all arrogance and deception,” said Zenaida Soriano, Amihan national chairperson.

During the lean months, the retail price of tomatoes soared to P279 per kilo. But now that supply has increased, traders force farmers to sell at unreasonably low prices. 

“Marcos Jr. has once again proven himself to be the number one enemy of farmers with his policies that worsen the food and agricultural crisis,” Soriano said.

KMP stressed that farmers should have direct access to buyers to avoid exploitation by middlemen.

Ramos condemned the government for failing to regulate traders and middlemen who exploit the situation by buying produce from farmers at extremely low prices but selling it to consumers at much higher rates.

As a long-term solution, KMP is pushing for rural industrialization to address the recurring problems in agriculture. Instead of relying solely on selling raw vegetables, KMP urged the government to invest in local food processing industries, post-harvest facilities, and cooperative-led enterprises. These initiatives would allow farmers to process surplus tomatoes into sauces, pastes, and other value-added products, ensuring a more stable income while strengthening local food security.

“The solution to the recurring price crashes is not just temporary aid. What we need is real rural industrialization—local processing plants, cold storage facilities, and food processing systems to ensure that farmers’ harvests do not go to waste,” Ramos said.

Lastly, Amihan called on the public to support local tomato farmers and resist the monopoly control of private traders and importers in the agricultural market.

“We must fight against the widespread control of private traders and importers who dictate the price and supply of tomatoes in the country,” Soriano urged. (RTS, RVO)