Review fertilizer deal, Duterte urged
AN alliance of farmer groups has called on President Rodrigo Duterte to look again into the alleged irregularities in the Department of Agriculture ( DA)’s purchase of urea fertilizers.
Rosendo So, chairman of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, said Duterte should take second look at the issue.
The President on Tuesday declared that the bidding for the supply contracts of urea fertilizer was aboveboard.
“Farmers themselves have provided us with receipts. Retailers have also given us their outlet prices. How can the Department of Agriculture refute these? Receipts do not lie,” So said in a statement.
He called on the President to listen to the farmers who have complained that the P1.8-billion fertilizer contracts awarded by the DA last month were overpriced.
“You cannot invent the retail price because we have receipts to back these up. The winning bids were higher by as much as P150 per bag,” So said.
“That would mean a difference of about P260 million, enough to buy at least 400,000 more bags of urea. During this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, every peso counts, especially since the budget for these contracts comes from the government’s emergency Covid-19 response fund,” he added.
He called on Duterte not to take the DA’s explanation as “gospel truth.”
“The reality in the retail market shows that the DA’s P1,000 reference bid price per bag of urea fertilizer is too high and grossly disadvantageous to the government,” he said.
The P1.8- billion supply contracts were bagged by La Filipina Uy Gongco for Central Luzon at P995 per bag, Calabarzon at P990 per bag and Western Visayas at P995 per bag; and Atlas Fertilizer for Central Visayas at P900 per bag.
Farmer groups said the average retail price of urea fertilizer in Central Luzon was only P850.
In his report to Congress on Monday, Dutete ruled out any irregularities in the purchase of fertilizers.
“The DA has reported that the centralized fertilizer bidding is above board, transparent, and has in fact brought urea prices down,” the President said.
“The DA has taken the necessary measures to enhance the system of fertilizer distribution, including geo tagging, posting of all recipients or beneficiaries, system digitization and the institution of an integrity group [to monitor and observe],” he added.
But So said the President should consider that the DA was in a position to negotiate for a lower cost as it was buying in bulk and directly from the importer.
Several lawmakers at the House of Representatives have sought a joint inquiry of the Committees on Agriculture and Food and Good Government and Public Accountability on the questionable procurement.