agriculture

Farmers worry as costs keep rising

Some may have to consider other options if costs don’t stop rising.

Farmers in Los Santos say that rising prices of fuel and items such as fertilizer have put their livelihoods at risk.

Statistics from the Instituto de Seguro Agropecuario (ISA) show that from 2000 to the current year, production costs have increased an estimated 40 percent.

The agency said that a farmer that could purchase fertilizer for $15 or $16 a bag in 2000 now has to pay $25 to $30. The agency estimates that a farmer that spent $154 preparing a hectare of land for planting in 2000 now has to spend $200.

The rising costs have put a severe strain on farmers in Los Santos, who raise crops such as rice, tomatoes and corn.

Ivanor Salcedo, president of the Asociación de Productores de Arroz de Tonosí, said that increasing production costs are jeopardizing the existence of many producers in the area . He said that the government needs to find a way to help farmers deal with these rising costs, or else many will be forced out of the business.