A joint police operation has dismantled an illegal fertilizer manufacturing facility in Nueva Ecija, dealing a blow to the underground trade in counterfeit farm inputs that threatens crop yields, food security and farmer livelihoods.
Law enforcers seized about 500 bags of illegally manufactured fertilizer, 21 granulator machines and several delivery trucks worth an estimated P900,000 during a late-night raid recently in Barangay Sta. Monica, Rizal, Nueva Ecija.
The operation was launched after the arrest of an alleged agent of an illegal fertilizer manufacturer, who provided information that led police to the clandestine warehouse.
Personnel from the Rizal and Talavera municipal police stations, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Nueva Ecija Provincial Field Unit, Regional Special Operations Group 3, Provincial Intelligence Unit, Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) carried out the inspection.
Authorities identified the warehouse owner as certain Daniel Delos Santos, 52, proprietor of Don Fertilizer Manufacturing.
Investigators said Delos Santos failed to present the permits and licenses required to manufacture fertilizer. Verification by the FPA also showed the facility was operating without registration.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. commended the joint operation, saying it protects both farmers and consumers from the dangers posed by counterfeit agricultural inputs.
“We will continue working closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure only safe, effective and properly registered agricultural inputs reach our farmers.”
“Illegal fertilizers rob farmers of their hard-earned income by reducing yields, undermine our food security, and pose potential risks to public health and the environment. We will continue working closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure only safe, effective and properly registered agricultural inputs reach our farmers,” Tiu Laurel said.
FPA Director Glen Estrada said the agency is intensifying its campaign against unscrupulous manufacturers and traders.
“These illegal products hurt farm productivity, and essentially robs our farmers of their limited funds.”
“We will relentlessly pursue illicit manufacturers and traders of unregistered and illegally manufactured fertilizers and pesticides. These illegal products hurt farm productivity, and essentially robs our farmers of their limited funds,” Estrada said.
The confiscated fertilizer, equipment and trucks are now under FPA custody pending documentation and disposition.
Police are preparing criminal charges against Delos Santos for violating Presidential Decree No. 1144–the law that created the FPA—before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Cabanatuan City.
