Yap: P21 billion needed for fertilizer

By PURPLE S. ROMERO abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak Secretary Arthur Yap said the agriculture department seeks a P21 billion-fertilizer fund for the dry season as price shocks could threaten the country’s rice self-sufficiency. Yap said the dry season starts November and extends until February next year. In a forum on the Philippine food security and its role in accomplishing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Yap said that crops will be planted in P1.8 million hectares of rice lands, with six bags of fertilizer needed for each hectare. With fertilizer prices shooting from P1,200 in 2007 to P2,000 in 2008, a farmer would need P12,000 for each hectare. "We would need P21 billion for this," he said. When asked if the money will be taken from the national budget next year, Yap said that the department has to study the possible... [read full story]