Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered a nationwide ground survey of farmer-beneficiaries as the Department of Agriculture escalates its probe into alleged substandard seeds, questionable fertilizer grades, and unreliable farm machinery distributed under government programs.
Even before the survey got off the ground, Tiu Laurel said that the DA’s Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) has already probed and is now preparing appropriate and initial legal actions against two fertilizer firms in the Caraga Region in Mindanao for FPA rules violations.
“We want to hear from the actual beneficiaries,” Tiu Laurel said. “Kung may problema sa after-sales service o may depekto ang kagamitan, lalabas iyan sa survey.” He stressed the agency cannot rely on unsubstantiated complaints, even as allegations of corruption and graft surface.
The complaints, raised by a farmers’ group, are being taken seriously, he said, though regular audits have not flagged systemic irregularities. Still, Tiu Laurel ordered a deeper investigation with a target to complete the probe within March and submit a formal report to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Congressional oversight committees in Agriculture after the Holy Week
At the core of the response is a sweeping, region-by-region survey of recipients of machinery, post-harvest facilities, seeds, and fertilizers distributed by the DA and attached agencies, including Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization. Farmers and cooperatives will be asked about equipment performance, spare parts availability, after-sales service, and overall satisfaction.
The goal, Tiu Laurel said, is to replace anecdote with verifiable data. He pushed back against claims that procurement favored a single supplier, noting that machinery has been sourced from multiple global brands such as Kubota and Yanmar, alongside rice processing technologies from Buhler Group and Satake.
He acknowledged reports of isolated breakdowns, including a Chinese-brand combine harvester cited in media interviews, and said each case would be reviewed. Suppliers with weak service networks or contract violations could face penalties or blacklisting.
The review also covers seeds and fertilizers. While rejecting proposals for a voucher-based seed system, Tiu Laurel said the Department has started the use of Intervention Monitoring Cards (IMCs) under an improved system as a more transparent and accountable mechanism for delivering fertilizer assistance. A pilot will be conducted this year in Southern Leyte, with a full nationwide rollout planned in 2027 if the system proves feasible at the national level.
“We are not sweeping anything under the rug,” Tiu Laurel said. “If there are shortcomings or wrongdoings, we will address them.”
