Dubbed as the farmer’s best friend, the carabao remains as a mainstay in the rural scene, playing an irreplaceable role as the farmer’s dependable ally. It demonstrates unrivaled strength and power—a steady complement to the toil rendered by farmers to produce staple food. The aphorism “a farmer without a carabao is just half a farmer” verily depicts this narrative.

Even with the advent of mechanization, the carabao still plays a crucial role in major farm operations. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the total carabao inventory reached 2.74 million as of June 30, of which, based on a study, 65% to 70% is used for farm operations. 

One such important farm operation where the carabao takes center stage is during “karyada” in the harvest season. 

Karyada is the kind of work in rice production where bags of newly threshed palay are hauled to where they will be piled or stored up. It is a contracted job carried out by a group of farm workers known as “karyador” and paid on a per-sack basis.

 
Nimensio Jimenez or Ka Neme, as he is fondly called, proudly shared that he was able to finance the educational needs of his three children and build their own house with his income as a “karyador”, of which, he said, has been his work for more than four decades now. He is also the “kabisilya” or leader of seven “karyador” in Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija. 

The karyador is paid PHP10 to PHP15 for every cavan transported from the farm to the road. Ka Neme’s team would transport the sacks of palay to the nearest road or to the “bilaran” of the land owner. 

“Our earnings are divided equally among ourselves. During the wet season, each of us expects to bring home PHP15,000 to PHP18,000 in one cropping but we get more during the dry season,” Ka Neme shared. He said “more” could go as high as PHP30,000 plus hauling is relatively faster and easier during the dry season.

He also prides himself of the exceptional draft power and strength of his crossbred carabao that he uses for karyada, which can pull a cartload of 15 to 20 cavans during the dry season and eight to 10 cavans when the field is muddy. 

Aside from transporting palay and other farm products, he added the carabaos are also utilized for land preparation such as cultivating, harrowing, and plowing the sides and corners of the field (locally termed “dukit”), which a tractor cannot till.

“Machines alone cannot do all the farm work. Carabao’s draft power is unparalleled especially when the field is muddy. No machine can surmount its power. Only its draft power can meet the difficulty of transporting hefty loads of harvest to a firmer ground.

Carabao is also low-maintenance, as opposed to the machine, which requires gasoline to work,” Ka Neme argued.

Ka Neme and his fellow karyador are living proofs that the carabao’s draft power has proven to be an exceptional complement to farmers’ labor in the agricultural scene from then until now. 

The carabao is very much needed in farm operations. There’s no way that the carabao’s help will be brushed aside. If there is no carabao, karyada will not be able to move on successfully.