Smuggled farm chemicals seized in North Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY—Close to a hundred liters of fertilizers and farm chemicals, which have not passed government regulation or have been illegally imported, were seized by agents of the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) from sellers operating mobile stores in North Cotabato on Tuesday.

Aletha Bornea, FPA North Cotabato coordinator, told a local radio station here the “hot items” were seized during an FPA operation in the towns of Matalam, Pikit, Midsayap and Libungan following complaints from farmers against substandard farm inputs.

Bornea said the persons involved in the selling of the unregistered or illegally imported pesticides and fertilizers will be charged.

Farm chemicals smuggled from Indonesia and Malaysia usually find their way into small farms in many Mindanao areas.

These include chemicals against farm pests like aphids and leafhoppers and herbicides against weeds. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao