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The FPA Region II, in partnership with Croplife Philippines, facilitated a series of seminars on the safe and judicious use of fertilizer and pesticides to the  different State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in Cagayan Valley on November 19-21, 2019.

The activity targetted senior and graduating agriculture students coming from the Isabela State University (ISU) – Cauayan City and Echague Campus, Quirino State University (QSU) – Maddela and Diffun Campus and the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU).

Henry Fronda, Regional Officer of Region II, said that the seminar was customized to introduce discussion on fertilizer and pesticide application and management.

“We took the initiative after knowing that there is not enough exposure on responsible use of agricultural pesticides, pesticide product label interpretation, product stewardship and insect resistance management (IRM) in the schools,” he explained.

He added that these are essential topics which can be covered by the licensure examination for agriculture (LEA), thus the activity would also serve as a preparatory and review course.

The Board of Directors (BoD) of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA)approved the proposed amendments of the Regulatory Policies and Implementing Guidelines for Fertilizer (Bluebook) and Pesticide (Greenbook)at the Landbank, Malate, Manila on 24 October 2019.

With DA Secretary William Dar serving as the Chairperson, he said that FPA’s role in the rapid agricultural growth is crucial. He emphasized the need to hasten the processing of registrations for fertilizer and pesticide in response to the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act.

FPA Executive Director Wilfredo Roldan said that the revised guidelines present the updated regulatory requirements for fertilizer and pesticide which meet the current demands of agency’s stakeholders.

He noted that the revisions are the product of FPA consultations with its stakeholders composed by the industry, academe, and technical consultants.

“Their guidance enabled FPA on what to do and what to change without sacrificing the quality of the registration and the regulatory function of the FPA. We want to respond to the needs of the public and the stakeholders,” he said.

In the new version of said guidelines, provisions for the Mode of Action (MoA) on product labeling and drone application for pesticide spraying has been integrated. It also presents updated requirements for Experimental Use Permits (EUPs), and the acceptance of third-party authorizations (TPA) for pesticide.

Other members of the BoD include the heads of the Food and Drugs Administration (DOH-FDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), Department of Finance (DoF), Philippine National Bank (PNB), and the Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI). They have sent their representatives during the meeting.

The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) advises the public not to buy fake pesticides in the market.

After reports of smuggled pesticide products from China has been confiscated in Cagayan Valley, Executive Director Wilfredo Roldan during his opening remarks during the Pesticide Handling Training held at the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) facilitated by the Field Operations and Coordinating Unit (FOCU) on October 28, said that such should not be availed of since these may harm both the user and the environment.

He advised farmers to always buy FPA registered pesticides by looking at the product label.

“It is obvious that some of these products came from other countries since their label is written in a foreign language, making it hard for us to understand their chemical contents,” he said.

He explained that farmers tend to buy cheaper smuggled pesticide products without considering the efficacy and safety of the product.

Dir. Roldan then urged the public to report incidence of entry and proliferation of pesticide products to FPA Central Office and its Regional Offices for investigation and confiscation.

“The public may also refer to the FPA’s social media accounts and website where they could be updated on fertilizer and pesticide regulations, and be educated on the information campaign efforts of the agency.”

Meanwhile, FPA has the mandate to ensure the safety and quality of fertilizer and pesticides through product registration, institutionalization of product stewardship program, and conduct of relevant information campaign.

MACO, COMPOSTELA VALLEY – To monitor the gravity of infestation caused by white grubs and weevil in banana plantations in Davao Region, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) led by Executive Director Wilfredo Roldan conducted an on-site inspection on September 20, 2019.

This is in response to the request of Davao-based researchers and banana industry for technical assistance in its control since there is no registered pesticide specific to such pest. It was reported that more or less a thousand hectares are affected.

The report added that the infestation, if not prevented, would be an added concern along with Fusarium Wilt, also known as Panama Disease that is already causing huge reduction of export bananas due to decreased in banana production.

Director Roldan said that the FPA will coordinate with industry stakeholders and other government agencies to address the concern, and for the conduct of information campaign,whenever necessary. (with reports from FPA FU XI)