DA halts use of fertilizer bags

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it halted the delivery and use of 11,000 fertilizer bags in Mindoro due to the supplier’s registration violations.

In a statement on Sunday, the DA said fertilizer supplier Agri-Victorious Trading Corp. was found to have delivered products in sacks that indicated an expired Certificate of Product Registration from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA).

Although the fertilizers’ nutrient content passed laboratory tests, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel said compliance with registration requirements is “non-negotiable.”

“Farmers depend on us to ensure that every input they receive is properly registered, validated, and safe. Any product without a valid registration has no place in the market,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

According to the DA, the FPA is conducting an investigation and gathering pertinent documents to determine the appropriate legal actions against the supplier.

The DA said a total of 11,353 bags are subject to a Stop Use, Move and Sale order. The figure does not include volumes already distributed to farmer-beneficiaries before the expired registration was detected.

DA Mimaropa Regional Director Christopher R. Bañas said in the statement that no government funds have been released for the delivery, citing payment and compliance safeguards built into the procurement contracts. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel