President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assured Filipino farmers that the country has enough fertilizer despite higher prices, saying the government is ready to provide subsidies if needed.
Marcos Jr. gave the assurance during a media interview in New Delhi, India on Sunday, Sept. 13, when asked about the impact of the oil crisis on farmers and the availability of fertilizer.
He said fertilizer prices shot up after the February 28 attack but have since gone down, although they remain higher than before.
“It’s the fertilizer, but fertilizer parang nahanap—found its level again. Kasi noong February 28 ‘yung unang attack, Marso talagang tumaas nang husto pero bumaba din,” he said.
“So, fertilizer, the supply and the price – the price is still higher than it was before. But there’s sufficient supply, and we’ll just have to pay the price, and if need be, we’ll subsidize that too.”
Marcos Jr. said the government would rather provide assistance when needed, saying it would also be more useful from an economic standpoint.
The disruption in the global fertilizer supply chain has added pressure on farmers, with natural gas being a major ingredient and source of power in producing nitrogen fertilizer.IMT
