“The main advantage of cheaper fertilizer from bilateral deals is potentially moderating production costs and saving on foreign exchange,” Sonny A. Africa, executive director of research group Ibon Foundation, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
Allowing the government to import more fertilizer through bilateral deals would force local fertilizer producers to boost the quality of their products, he said. “A little bit late now for the current crop because farmers have already started planting,” he said in a Viber message. “But if they can bring in the fertilizer in a few months, it can be used for late planting or for the next crop that will be harvested early next year.”
“When global fertilizer prices have been skyrocketing, the more we need to look for ways that veer away from too much dependence on imported inputs, even if they are done through bilateral government deals,” he said in a Messenger chat.