DA Halts Fertilizer Distribution from Five Suppliers Over Quality Issues
The Department of Agriculture has temporarily stopped the distribution of fertilizers from five suppliers after receiving complaints about the quality of their products.
According to Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the department has already launched an investigation into the companies involved, all of which have existing government contracts.
The Department of Agriculture, together with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, will review the fertilizer products to check if they meet the standards required by the government.
Tiu Laurel expressed strong disappointment over the issue, saying that the suppliers were paid according to the prices they proposed but still delivered fertilizers that did not meet expectations. He stressed that the government will not tolerate such actions.
Under the directive, all fertilizer stocks coming from the flagged suppliers have been frozen and will remain unavailable for distribution until they are cleared by the Office of the Secretary.
The department also instructed all DA personnel to submit reports on pending deliveries, ongoing transactions, and related documents to help in the full review of the situation.
Although the department has not disclosed the exact complaints about the fertilizer quality, the move shows the government’s stronger effort to hold suppliers accountable and ensure that farmers receive quality farm inputs, especially as many rely on government fertilizer programs to cope with rising production costs.
NPO News Team | GMANews Online – PR
