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Thursday, October 09, 2003
Farmers into smuggling to lower expenses: FPA
By Christie Enriquez- Uayan
FERTILIZER and Pesticides Authority (FPA) 11 Officer-in-charge Estrella Laquinta Wednesday admitted some farmers in the region resort to smuggling farm inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides to save costs.
Laquinta, who was one of the guests in Wednesday's Ugnayan sa Royal Mandaya Hotel media forum, said the practice, although abated by their massive information campaign and the Integrated Pest Management Program implemented by the Department of Agriculture (DA), is common among the farmers in the Davao provinces except for Davao del Norte.
"Farmers in Davao del Norte are very much aware of the affects of using smuggled fertilizers and pesticides," she said.
According to Laquinta, they apprehended two farmers who are based in Davao del Norte but are selling smuggled products in Davao del Sur in the previous years.
The prohibited goods were manufactured in Malaysia and were sent in Davao del Sur.
Most of the illegal pesticides and fertilizers are sold to farmers at very low prices, in most cases at about fifty percent of its value in commercial establishments.
Even Sodaco Agricultural Corporation General Manager Antonio Avelino, in an earlier interview admitted that due to the government's non provision of subsidies of farm implements, farmers are forced to purchase prohibited farm chemicals.
Laquinta said the region's strategic location makes it easy for smugglers to channel the illegal goods here.
"Smuggled pesticides that reach the provinces usually come from backdoor, so medyo nahihirapan kaming mahuli," Laquinta said in an interview, adding that another reason for the government's difficulty in stopping the practice is the FPA's manpower deficiency.
She said only four employees work full time in the FPA 11.
Being smuggled, the FPA 11 official said the items are not safe for use and might bring more harm than good to farmers.
"Baka hindi siya safe and effective kasi wala naming procedures na ginawa para ma test ang efficacy and toxicity nya," she said.
Most of the fertilizers and pesticides sold in the country belong to the category 4 of pesticides and fertilizer classification, according to Laquinta.
This means that the products being sold to farmers, once approved by the FPA is least toxic and is biodegradable.
(October 9, 2003 issue)
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