Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Friday, Oct. 22 laid down conditions to the approval of the budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) requiring a concrete plan on the skyrocketing prices of fertilizers before its budget could be taken up in plenary.
When the Senate took up the proposed 2022 DA budget today, Zubiri urged the DA to act on the fertilizer problem, citing how urea now sells for around P1,500 to P1,900, from just P800 to P900 per 50 kilograms some months ago.
Virtually joining the hearing from the province of Isabela, a stop in his visit to North Luzon provinces affected by Typhoon Maring, Zubiri relayed concerns from farmers regarding the unabated increase of inorganic fertilizer prices over the past few months.
“Kausap namin ang mga magsasaka, at ang problema talaga nila, napakahamal ng abono (We talked to the farmers whose problem is that the cost of fertilizers is too high),” he said.
“Ano ba ang ginagawang hakbang ng DA para maibaba ang presyo ng abono? (What is the DA doing to reduce the cost of fertilizers?). Ano pong sasabihin ko sa mga magsasaka natin para matulungan sila? (What shall I tell the farmers in order I could help them?),’’ he asked.
DA Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan explained how multiple factors have led to the upsurge in pricing, citing increased demand from other countries and rising logistical costs caused by the pandemic.
Cayanan assured that the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) is monitoring local prices to watch out for outliers who may be taking advantage of the global situation.
Additionally, the DA is handing out discount vouchers to farmers, to help offset their fertilizer costs, he added.
“Dapat rin siguro makipag-ugnayan na ang DA sa DTI, para ma-control ang presyo (It is possible that the DA talk to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to control the price of fertilizers),” Zubiri said.
“Kasi iba-iba daw ang presyo sa iba’t ibang stores sa iba’t ibang probinsiya (The price of fertilizer varies from store to store and in every province),’’ he added.
“At tulungan rin natin yung (We should help the) organic fertilizer program,” he added, in support of Committee on Agriculture Sen. Cynthia Villar’s assertion that the DA must distribute composting machines to farmers across the country, to encourage local production of organic fertilizers.
“In Bukidnon we do that, but these are private endeavors. Dapat may programa ang gobyerno (government must have a program),’’ Zubiri said.
“Dati meron tayong locally produced fertilizers sa PhilPhos,” he said.
The Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation was a government-owned company producing fertilizers locally, before its privatization in 2000.
“Ang dami nating materials for organic fertilizers, pero wala tayong programa (We have so many materials for organic fertilizers but we do not have a program). We need more progressive and proactive measures, hindi lang tayo reactive (we only reactive),’’ he stressed.
“Buhayin natin ang l(let us make local fertilizer industry (alive(. Gawan natin ng (we should give) incentive packages ang local production of fertilizer. Maybe we can ask the FPA what their recommendation is para buhayin natin ang (to give life to) local production. I am an agriculturist, but we need assistance from our departments on which direction we will take.”
“My suggestion is we approve the budget of the DA at the committee level with the colatilla (condition) that you give us an action plan kung ano pong mga hakbang ang gagawin ninyo para matulungan ang ating mga magsasaka na magkaroon ng affordable—both inorganic and organic—fertilizer, bago namin ma-take up ang budget ninyo sa plenaryo (what are the steps you undertake to help our farmers in order for them to have affordable fertilizer, both organic and inorganic, before we take up your budget in plenary),’’ he added.