THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said it was seeking a $1-million grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to conduct a study on building a fertilizer manufacturing plant in the country.
The grant has been approved in principle, Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said, adding that the draft terms of reference had been submitted to ADB.
Part of the study is for the country to produce its own fertilizer in the long run, Undersecretary Roger Navarro said.
The plan for a fertilizer facility was approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a Cabinet meeting and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto had said it would require a feasibility study.
Research will run for two to three months after which the results will be presented to the president, the DA said.
Once approved, funding the project will be next, it added.
“If the study can be finished by August or September, then we can break ground by November or December, and before the end of 2027, we will have our own fertilizer plant,” Navarro said.
The facility is expected to make urea, a fertilizer used widely for green leafy growth of vegetables and high crop yields. As the most common straight nitrogenous fertilizer, it is highly water-soluble and cost-effective.
Also on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. flew to Brunei to discuss how Asean members could help boost fertilizer supply in the region, Navarro said.
Tiu Laurel has identified Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei as good sources of fertilizer for the Philippines.