The Department of Agriculture (DA) and its Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) have seized around P175,000 worth of illegally sold fertilizers and pesticides in a series of entrapment operations in Quezon City, highlighting the government’s stepped-up drive to stop the unsafe online sale of farm inputs.
The DA said the by-bust operations were conducted in areas along Mindanao Avenue, Cubao, and Quezon City Circle, following weeks of monitoring of online sellers offering unregistered agricultural products. The operations were carried out in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Cybersecurity Investigation and Coordinating Center (DICT-CICC) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Authorities confiscated 163 fertilizer products and 113 pesticide products that were being sold without the required FPA license.
The interception is significant as it comes shortly after the FPA revoked earlier guidelines that allowed online selling of fertilizers and pesticides. Under the new policy, these regulated products may only be sold over the counter by authorized and licensed dealers, as the FPA does not issue permits for online sales.
FPA executive director Glenn Estrada said the joint operation shows how government agencies working together can better protect farmers, consumers, and the environment from unregulated and potentially harmful agricultural inputs.
He warned that more entrapment operations will be conducted this year against online sellers who violate existing laws, including Presidential Decree No. 1144. The crackdown forms part of “Oplan Bistados,” a new enforcement campaign aimed at monitoring, investigating, and prosecuting the illegal online trade of fertilizers and pesticides to ensure that only registered, properly labeled, and safe products reach the public.
