Philippines in talks with Russia, Southeast Asia countries for supply of fertilizer

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is in talks with Russia and three countries in Southeast Asia for the procurement of fertilizers in a bid to address supply and price issues.

“We had meetings with Russia. They have already responded,” Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) deputy executive director Myer Mula said in a virtual presser yesterday.

Mula said Russia has expressed willingness to supply the country with fertilizer, particularly urea.

He said the Philippines has yet to provide the volume of fertilizer it needs.

Mula said discussions with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are also ongoing.

However, he said there is no assurance from these countries as they have their own requirements to meet.

“But we continuously coordinate with other countries,” he said.

Last month, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China were in the middle of bilateral negotiations for the procurement of fertilizers, including biofertilizers and biostimulants.

“We have been talking with Ambassador Huang Xilian on the country’s ongoing request to buy fertilizers from China, and we are optimistic about the positive result of our discussions regarding the potential trade,” Dar said.

Fertilizer prices in the international market have been rising since last year mainly due to larger demand, as well as higher freight cost.

Latest data from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority showed that the average retail price of prilled urea reached P2,982.97 per 50-kilo bag from May 9 to 13. This is more than double the P1,156.64 per 50-kilo bag price in the same period last year.

Other measures being taken by the government to address the rising fertilizer prices include the provision of fertilizer subsidies, as well as the promotion of the balanced fertilization strategy, which refers to the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers based on crop and soil nutrient content.

Dar earlier cited ethe need for more fertilizer subsidies to prevent a decline in palay production.

“If we’re not able to subsidize more, the rice farmers today will see a decline of about 1.1 million metric tons (MT) of palay this year,” Dar said.

An additional P6 billion fertilizer subsidy budget for the wet planting season was earlier approved by President Duterte as part of the Plant Plant Plant 2.

“Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez is now looking at the funding source as he supports this additional budget for fertilizer subsidy. He promised to have it very soon,” Dar said last week.

To cushion the impact of the global challenges on the country’s food security, the DA earlier implemented Plant Plant Plant with a P24 billion budget, of which P20 billion has been allocated for fertilizers.