SPECIAL FEATURE: Farming: The underrated, yet most crucial business

CEBU, Philippines - The notion that agriculture, described as a routine industry (land preparation, plant, harvest and repeat), is something that farmers strongly oppose saying that their job is a difficult one but the most important and the best in the world.

Agriculture plays a crucial part of everyone’s life. In fact, it is a big business in a tropical country like the Philippines. 

Cebu is one of the provinces in the country that is blessed with agricultural resources giving people, specially those living in the rural areas, a big opportunity to start engaging in agriculture business or commonly known as “agribusiness”. People living in the rural places mainly support themselves through agriculture.

Cebu is known for being abundant in agricultural commodities such as sweet corn, rice, coconut, sugarcane, vegetables, fruits, camote, cassava and spices.

According to the Department of Agriculture Central Visayas agribusiness division, most of the vegetables come from the southern backbone of the province stretching from Carcar City to Argao not to mention Dalaguete which is considered as the “Vegetable Basket of Cebu.”

Many of these raw products sold in the city’s biggest marketplace, the Carbon Market and even in some supermarkets, also come from the municipalities of Balamban and Dalaguete where people’s main livelihood is on farming -- a work they are so proud of.

These people are raised through the help of the agribusiness.

Farming as a business

Cadampog family is just one of the many families in Balamban, Northern Cebu who find satisfaction in farming as the main source of their income. The family who lives in barangay Sunog owns a total of seven hectares of land alloted mainly for planting different vegetables, root crops and sweet corn.

Weekly, they are producing sacks of ampalaya and talong, which they sell to local sellers in Cebu’s major markets like the Carbon Market.

The family’s matriarch, 51-year old Mary Cadampog, said growing sweet corns is what they like bacause it gives them more profit considering the huge quantity of harvest a kilo of corn seeds can produce. Corns grow in a span of 75 to 80 days. 

“Ang usa ka kilo nga seeds moani og 2,000 kilos of sweet corn,” the farmer explained. “Unya, ibaligya ni namo og tag-P17 matag kilo sa among suki sa Carbon ug uban pang buyers.” (A kilo of corn seeds will produce 2,000 kilos of sweet corn. We sell it for P17 per kilo at the Carbon market.)

The family spends more or less P8,000 for the production of these crops, buying seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, and paying other farmers who help in the process.

“Dunay kwarta ang panguma,” Cadampog stressed. “Sayop nang uban nga nag-ingon ubos ra ning trabaho-a. Kon dunay kakugi ug patience, molampos ka gyod ining agribusiness.” (There’s money in farming. It is just unfortunate for some to underestimate this job. If you have perserverance and patience, you will succeed in agribusiness.)

Farming and selling your harvests do not even demand a degree for you to do it, she said telling people that what this profession basically requires are hard work, willingness to get muddy and a love for nature. 

Her 20-year-old son Roperto Cadampog, who has since been taught and oriented by his father about agriculture, shared to The Freeman his wonderful experiences in farming and how he learned to understand this business.

“Sukad pagkabata, kuyog-kuyogon na man ko sa akong papa sa umahan,” he said on how he started to immerse in a farmer’s life. “Didto ko nakat-on sa tanang trabaho sa usa ka mag-uuma. Di gyod siya sayon nga trabaho pero very important kay people depend on it.” (Eversince I was a kid, my father would take me to the farm, there I learned all about farming. It is not an easy job but it is very important because a lot of people depend on it.)

Roperto, who is currently in college, said he is not afraid if he could not get a job after graduation because he can always live and survive with agriculture. He knows how to do it, a proud Roperto said.

He also added that farming as his family’s only livelihood has since made a special place in his heart.  Sweats from hardwork have sustained their business for more than 50 years now.

The most advantage thing on the part of the Cadampog family is that they personally own the lot which translates to more profit. Unlike other farmers who are only renting a land and need to pay a certain amount of their profit to the landowner for allowing them to till their land.

Farmer Delia Jayme though is aware that it is more wise to engage in farming when you have your own land because it brings back bigger returns. Her family has been renting a portion of the Cadampog’s land for the past 28 years.

She said that 20% of her total earnings from selling amplaya and talong will go to the landowner leaving her family with still enough income to send her five children to school.

But she is happy to say that they have already bought hectares of land at the Mount Manunggal where they plant ginger. The area is just small and its soil quality is only good for planting ginger.

“Kon gusto ka makatag-iya og yuta, naa may paagi,” Jayme stressed. “Palit ka og mga hayop sama sa baka ug kabaw. Dako man ni og halin kon ibaligya na ug di ka alkansi kay grass ra man kina-on nila.” (There’s a way for one to own a land. You can buy livestocks then sell it afterwards, it only requires minimal capital because this farm animals only eat grass.)

She said that tending and selling these animals was the main reason why they were able to finally have a land, though just so small, it still offers the family a good opportunity in continuing their business.

Challenges

Like any industry, the farming business also has its own share of challenges. The unpredictable climate currently experienced in the country has posed threats to the agriculture industry. Farmers are worrying on the direct effects of the unusual cold and dry weather on their livelihood and business.

Gaas Balamban farmer Lucilia Econas, 61, in fact lamented the unusual freezing weather experienced in Cebu last January has greatly affected the agribusiness especially its main players  — the farmers.

She feared the prediction of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) of a possible drought or El Niño in the coming months.

“Mao gyod ni kabalaka namong mga farmer. Kanang ngil-ad nga panahon maoy usa gyod sa among mga kontra ug sa among pagnegosyo.” (One of the concerns of most farmers is the weather, bad weather is detrimental to our business.)

Meanwhile, DA-7 understands the concerns of farmers on their business and is aware of the extensive damage the changing climate may bring to the agriculture industry in Cebu and in other parts of the country.

Gerry S. Avila, chief of the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) of DA-7, advises farmers to prepare and to be ready always especially now that a possible drought is anticipated.

Crop management and protection is the key, he continued, wherein farmers need to know how to adopt to the unusual cold and hot weather.

“Kon grabe na ang kainit, farmers must plant crops that are tolerant to the drought condition. They should adapt to the climate,” he also added.

Marketing

The Agriculture Department has asked the help of various local government units in knowing the needs of the farmers and in teaching them on how to better improve their business and market their products through trainings and seminars, Avila said.

“We are teaching them how to sell their products to institutional buyers like malls and restaurants,” he noted adding that investment forum, one of AMAD’s programs, is aimed at introducing potential big consumers of agri products to the farmers.

Avila also said that they are continually molding farmers to become wise, competitive and good entrepreneurs considering that agriculture is already part of the World Trade Organization.

“We should maintain the high standards even in the farm level pa lang. Because this is no longer about just food, this is business,” he said. (FREEMAN)