The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) raised alarm over what it describes as a looming paralysis in the biofertilizer industry.
FFF board chairman and former Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor criticized the awarding of an exclusive license to Agri-Specialist Inc. (ASI) to produce, sell and market the biofertilizer branded as “Bio-N” nationwide.
Montemayor called on Congress and the Executive Branch to investigate the issue, citing its implications for food security, farmers’ incomes and the broader agricultural sector.
Montemayor said ASI, a new player in the biofertilizer sector, has yet to secure the required certificate of product registration for Bio-N from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority under the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“Production and supply of Bio-N in various areas have reportedly dwindled or stopped, harming thousands of rice, corn and vegetable producers who have relied on this technology for higher yields and significant savings on urea fertilizer costs,” Montemayor said.
Bio-N was developed in 1985 by Dr. Mercedes Garcia of UPLB’s Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), with government support from the DA and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The product uses bacteria from talahib grass roots to help crops utilize nitrogen from the air, reducing dependency on costly imported fertilizers.
The technology was commercialized in 2002 through a collaborative effort involving BIOTECH, the DA, local governments, state universities, private enterprises and farmers’ cooperatives.
These partnerships established 83 mixing plants nationwide to produce and distribute Bio-N.
Montemayor said the government intensified support for biofertilizers under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration to reduce reliance on expensive inorganic inputs, allocating P1.9 billion for biofertilizer procurement in 2024.
The FFF raised concerns about the decision of the UP Los Banos to grant exclusive rights to ASI, questioning how Bio-N, developed with public funds, could become the sole property of UPLB or a private entity.
