IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF FERTILIZER MARKET IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines’ poor transport infrastructure, along with weak logistics systems and low investments, have made fertilizer prices uneven across the country, causing inefficiencies in the fertilizer supply chain.  As a result, the uneven fertilizer price has made some agricultural products more expensive than others, contributing to the unstable food prices in the country, according to a recent study conducted by a ReSAKSS-Asia collaborator in the Philippines.  

Roehlano M. Briones, a Senior Research Fellow in Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), studied the evolution of fertilizer policy, the demand and supply-side issues of the fertilizer sector. His study showed that across the country, retail prices of fertilizer based on the Dealer’s price index vary widely. The cheapest fertilizers are found in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley (in the north); Western Visayas (central) and Davao Region (south), and the most expensive fertilizers are in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Eastern Visayas— which also happen to be among the poorest regions of the country.

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