THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said Planters Products, Inc. (PPI), its trading and marketing arm, imported 120,000 bags of inorganic fertilizer from Vietnam.
The shipment marks the first time PPI, formerly the dominant fertilizer supplier in the Philippines with 70% of the market in the 1970s, has imported fertilizer in 43 years.
PPI Chief Operating Officer Roberto V. Antonio said the shipment will help it continue its mission of “providing affordable, high-quality fertilizer and farm inputs that help ensure food security and agricultural growth.”
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the shipment will help farmers save on production costs “At six bags per hectare, this initial volume can support about 20,000 hectares of rice fields,” he added.
The fertilizer consists of a blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, helping with robust leaf growth, root development, grain formation, and resistance to pests and diseases. — Andre Christopher H. Alampay