Illegal fertilizer, pesticide seized in Quezon City

AUTHORITIES have seized illegally sold fertilizer and pesticide products worth P175,000 following a series of entrapment operations against unlicensed online sellers in Quezon City, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) said.

In a statement on Monday, the FPA said raids were carried out in establishments along Mindanao Avenue, Cubao, and the Quezon Memorial Circle area after weeks of cyber monitoring and validation of online transactions.

The operations were conducted by the FPA in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and the Philippine National Police.

Confiscated during the operations were 163 fertilizers and 113 pesticide products allegedly being sold online without the required FPA license to operate.

The FPA said the crackdown followed the issuance of its Memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2026, which revoked previous guidelines that allowed the online trading of fertilizers and pesticides. The agency said it does not issue licenses or permits authorizing the sale of such products through online platforms.

The agency advised farmers and buyers to purchase agricultural inputs only from licensed dealers and to verify product registration and seller information through its official website to avoid unsafe or substandard products. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel