Marcos urges DTI to ease farmers’ plight with affordable fertilizer

MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has met with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to discuss plans to make fertilizers more affordable to farmers in order to boost their productivity.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday night, the OP stated that Marcos wants the DTI to ensure that cheaper fertilizers would be made available for farmers.

“President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. met with DTI to iron out plans to increase the productivity of farmers by ensuring that fertilizers can be made affordable for them,” the OP said.

Marcos confirmed in his official Facebook account that he met with Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual in an effort to help ease the farmers’ plight and reboot the country’s agriculture industry.

“Hangad natin na maging masigla muli ang sektor ng agrikultura kaya’t nakipagpulong tayo kay Kalihim Alfredo Pascual ng Kagawaran ng Kalakalan at Industriya upang siguraduhin ang mas abot-kayang presyo ng abono o pataba na gamit ng ating mga magsasaka (We want to revive the agricultural sector, that’s why we met with Secretary Alfredo Pascual of the Department of Trade and Industry. We want the fertilizers used by our farmers to be affordable),” he said.

Marcos continues to prepare to secure the food supply in the country, according to the OP.

In July, Marcos stated his intention to pursue government-to-government (G2G) talks to address the increasing fertilizer prices.

Marcos, who also serves as the Department of Agriculture (DA), stated that the G2G deals would allow the government to purchase fertilizers at a lower cost.

He is communicating with China, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Russia regarding the fertilizer procurement of the country.

Earlier, Marcos ordered the agriculture officials to provide data on the source and price of fertilizers, including the distribution plan of DA during the planting season.