Manila: Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered the creation of a team to assess the fertilizer supply situation in the country and monitor fertilizer prices as global oil prices continue to surge, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a press conference, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa stated that they are now exploring options to cushion the impact of ongoing tensions in the Middle East. 'All options now ay tinitingnan ng ating kalihim para makatulong. Kasi ang iniiwasan natin ay bumaba ang productivity (The Secretary is exploring all options to help. Because what we want to prevent is the reduction of productivity),' de Mesa said.
Among the options under study are the use of organic fertilizers, government-to-government (G2G) partnerships, and cash subsidies for fertilizers. 'The Secretary is looking into the use of first, organic. Secondly, the use of biofertilizer, because in some studies, biofertilizers can replace up to 50 percent of the synthetic fertilizers,' de Mesa said. 'We can also look doon sa provisions na magkaroon ng (to have) G2G arrangements for fertilizers.'
De Mesa emphasized that these options are being considered to prevent lower productivity or a decrease in farmers' income. In terms of cash aid, de Mesa said it still depends on the recommendation of the DA team, which is expected to be submitted to the Office of the Secretary 'as soon as possible.'
Meanwhile, the DA official has monitored a slight increase in prices of imported fertilizer due to an uptick in freight costs. 'Nagsisimula ng tumaas ang preso ng fertilizer. Ang basic reason ng pagtataas niyan, 'yung freight cost at saka 'yung pagmahal ng pagdala dito sa atin (The fertilizer prices are starting to go up. The basic reason for the uptick is the freight cost and the rising shipment cost to our country), but not to the level of PHP3,000 (per bag),' de Mesa said. The PHP3,000/bag level was previously experienced during the start of the Ukraine-Russia war.
To date, the prices of urea range from PHP1,600 per 50-kg. bag to PHP1,889, according to the recent weekly data of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA). The prevailing price of bureau-granular, meanwhile, is at PHP1,650.31 per 50-kg. bag and PHP1,638.89 for complete (14-14-14) fertilizer.