SURIGAO DEL SUR—Despite the high rice yield in Surigao del Sur, price of rice continues to soar.

The head of one of the Municipal Agriculture Offices in Surigao del Sur said that there is no shortage of rice in the province owing to the present high rice yield.

It cannot be denied that even the farmers—who are our source of the said basic commodity—now are victims of the present crisis of rice.

The farmers in our area expressed their feelings. They said they experience hardships especially on how to meet their daily needs. They also urged the government to assist them in their farming needs.

In an interview with one leader of the farmers in our area, he said that the frequent visits of the President outside the country have a relation with the present problem as loan agreements have been signed by the President but the sad thing is that one of the loan conditions is giving freedom to foreigners to export (to our country) any products—one of these is rice.

A woman leader in one of the organizations in our area said that the problem of the rising cost of rice today is an effect to the hoarding of rice and the lack of government support to agriculture.

The reality today is that there is a division in society. There are people who acquired lands in unjust ways. The indigenous peoples who are the rightful owners of the lands have not acquired the lands as they are hapless to bring out the truth.

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