The Department of Agriculture said it is weighing the potential blacklisting of Agri-Victorious Trading Corp. after the supplier delivered over 11,000 bags of fertilizer to Oriental and Occidental Mindoro under an expired registration.
While laboratory tests confirmed the fertilizer meets nutrient and effectiveness standards, the administrative breach prompted the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) to halt all distribution and use of the 11,353 bags in government inventory, the DA said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signaled a zero-tolerance approach to the violation, saying that products lacking valid registration have no place in the market, regardless of their chemical quality.
The FPA said it activated enforcement teams and served a show-cause order and notices of violation, forcing the company to justify its compliance lapses as regulators determine if the firm should be permanently barred from future government contracts.
DA Mimaropa regional executive director Christopher Bañas confirmed that the government has not released any funds to the supplier, citing procurement safeguards that protect public money in cases of non-compliance.
While the DA reassured farmers who already used earlier batches that the product is agronomically sound, local government units have been ordered to secure all remaining stocks.
The final decision on the supplier’s blacklisting and further legal sanctions will follow the conclusion of the FPA’s formal investigation, the department said.
