Bataan farmers hit rising prices of fertilizer

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the provincial government of Bataan are looking for ways to lessen the impact of the rising prices of inorganic fertilizer on rice farmers.

From P1,200 per bag during the last planting season or between June to October this year, the price of commercial urea fertilizer has ballooned to P2,525, or an increase of more than 100 percent, the farmers said.

The lack of supply causes the prices of urea and other brands of inorganic fertilizer to spiral, according to Johanna Dizon, chief of the Bataan agriculture office.

“According to the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, walang dumating na abono. Nagkakaipitan daw sa pag-i-import sa China kaya tumaas nang ganyan ang presyo (there was no fertilizer shipment. Accordingly, there were import restrictions in China, that’s why the prices of fertilizer increased that much),” Dizon said.

To lessen the dependence of rice farmers on inorganic fertilizer, the provincial government produced and distributed trichoderma, a fungi genus that speeds up the decomposition of rice straws that were left to rot in farms.

“Kapag nabulok ang dayami, madadagdagan ang sustansiya ng lupa at mababawasan ang pangangailangan sa inorganic fertilizer tulad ng urea at 14-14-14 (decaying rice straws increase the nutrients in soil and decrease farmers’ need for inorganic fertilizer such as urea and 14-14-14),” Dizon said.

She said the provincial government is currently procuring soil ameliorants to lengthen the roots of rice plants and increase nutrient absorption capacity. 

“Pinaparami nito ang mga microorganisms sa lupa na nakakatulong sa pagpapataba ng lupa. With this, mababawasan ang pangangailangan sa inorganic fertilizer (It increases microorganisms and improves the quality of soil. This way, the need for inorganic fertilizer will be lessened),” Dizon said. 

After calamities, Dizon said the provincial government assists farmers by distributing fertilizer, like in November 2020 when Typhoon Ulysses destroyed the crops.

The DA is assisting Bataan farmers by distributing palay seeds and farm equipment, she said.