House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

A ranking congressman wants the appropriate committees in the House of Representatives to conduct a joint investigation, in aid of legislation, on just how effective chemical fertilizers have been to local farmers in terms of their production.

In particular, Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte wants an inquiry on the impact on Philippine agriculture and farm productivity of Filipino farmers’ overwhelming use of imported chemical fertilizers, which he says has been "happening for decades".

Villafuerte, majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), said he also wants to see a comparison between the actual costs for, and per-hectare yields of, local growers using organic and inorganic production inputs.

Issues that must also be looked into in this proposed joint inquiry, he said, are: 1)
whether or not chemical fertilizers like urea really cost cheaper than, if not just the same, as biofertilizers, and 2) whether or not organic inputs or biofertilizers are still untested or have been proven to significantly boost crop yields.

The former three-term Camarines Sur governor made this call after the Department of Agriculture (DA) came under fire for Memorandum Order (MO) 32 issued last April 27 by Agriculture Undersecretary for rice industry development Leocadio Sebastian.

The MO set the guidelines on the distribution and use of biofertilizers in local farms.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. at the same time announced at a DA sectoral meeting last week his administration’s push for the use of biofertilizers by our farmers to cut their use of imported petroleum-based fertilizers.

Villafuerte said he supports Marcos’ push for a balanced fertilization strategy involving the mixed-use of both biofertilizers or organic fertilizers and inorganic imports in farms, in an audacious move to finally wean local farmers from decades of overdependence on costly imported inputs that shrink their incomes and impair the environment.

“Chemical fertilizers are among the most expensive agricultural inputs that impacts negatively on our local farmers viability to compete with imported foodstuff from other countries, and the absence of fertilizer diversification, as what is being pushed by the President and the DA, will only keep our farmer uncompetitive and at a disadvantage," he said.

The Bicolano noted that the shift to biofertilizers and organic fertilizers will “lead to longer term sustainability as opposed to the myopia of continuously importing dollar-depleting petroleum-based chemical fertilizers".

“We have had enough of supporting the farmers and fertilizer manufacturers of other countries. Let us begin by supporting the balanced fertilization program—and let that be one Marcos legacy,” he pointed out.

Villafuerte further said this eco-friendly initiative would greatly benefit not only our farmers, but also the overwhelming majority of our people who consume rice as a staple, and agribusiness entrepreneurs producing and/or selling biofertilizers or organic fertilizers.