DA: Group misleading public on fertilizer issue

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) denounced the accusation of a farmers’ group that said the agency’s urea fertilizer bidding was “overpriced and disadvantageous to the government.”

Rosendo So, chairman of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura ( Sinag), accused the DA for bidding out another batch of “overpriced” urea fertilizers supply contracts worth over P1.3 billion.

“We are wondering where Mr. So has gathered his information, as the second round of bidding has not yet been completed,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a statement over the weekend.

“The DA’s Bid and Awards Committee has yet to conclude the public bidding. Technically, it is still ongoing,” he added.

Earlier, So said their distributors and outlet owners reported that the retail prices in Regions 1 ( Ilocos Region) and 2 ( Cagayan Vallery) were far lower than the DA’s price report, amounting up to P125 overprice per bag of fertilizer.

Based on Sinag’s computation, the allocation of 797,089 bags of urea fertilizer for Region 1 and 614,233 bags for Region 2 or a total of 1,411,322 bags translates to an overpricing of P176.41 million, which they said can be used to procure more farm inputs.

Dar, in response, stressed that the public bidding for various lots for Regions 1 and 2, and North Cotabato is considered a “failure.”

“We gladly welcome comments from all quarters, but they should have factual basis,” he said.

“In the case of Sinag, Mr. So is again misleading the media and the general public. It is grossly unfair and he should apologize publicly,” the agriculture chief added.

The urea fertilizers will be given free to farmers participating in DA’s Rice Resiliency Project under a “buy two, take two” scheme for those who use certified inbred seeds and “buy two, take three” for hybrid users.