Taking away the bitter facts about sugar

BACOLOD CITY – Beset with soaring prices of petroleum-based fertlizers and low productivity, sugar planters here are pinning their hopes on a cheaper, locally-developed fertilizer being introduced by Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp. (Philphos) that should take away some of the bitter facts about sugar production.

Philphos recently launched its "Philphos 3-in-1" fertilizer which is seen as a better alternative to the conventional combination in sugar plantations of urea, phosphorous and potash fertilizers.

"Sugar is sweet alright with a 50-kilo bag of sugar now averaging P800 per bag, but behind this rosy picture are the bitter facts: the inherent nutrient losses with the use of tradional fertlizers and unstable supply of imported fertilizers that have led to high prices especially since oil prices have gone up in recent months," said Philphos assistant vice president Jose S. Umadhay.

"Sugar planters will benefit by shifting to the 3-in-1 fertilizer because aside from substantially trimming production costs, the productivity of their farms will also improve because of the superior nutrient contents of the new product," added Umadhay.

Developed specifically for sugarcane planting, the new fertilizer which comes in two formulations: one for basal application, and another for secondary and tertiary applications, addresses the perennial problem of nutrient losses in urea and phosphorus application while also providing a solution to skyrocketing costs of imported fertilizers.

Umadhay explained that urea applied to sugarcane farms gives only about half of its nitrogen content because about 45 percent is lost through processes such as volatilization, leaching/run-off and denitrification.

Leaching/run-off is nitrogen carried away by water while denitrification is a biochemical process that converts nitrogen from urea to nitrogen gas through the action of anerobic micro-organisms. This occurs when soil is water logged which is what happens in the flat lands of Silay and Talisay, especially during the wet season.

Also, only about 85 percent of the nutrient contents of phosphorous is retained when applied to farms. That’s because nitrogen in compound fertilizers is easily lost to the atmosphere.

Umadhay added that the physical mixing of urea and potash results in more losses of nitrogen, not to mention additional labor cost. He said the practice of planters of mixing fertilizers a day before actual application also results in an uneven mixture, thus, cane plants do not get uniform nutrition.

The 3-in-1 fertilizer developed by Philphos should be a relief to local sugarcane planters not only in Negros Occidental, but also in other sugar-producing regions such as Central Luzon and Bukidnon in the Mindanao region.

The new fertilizer formulation can effectively stave off a looming shortage of imported fertilizers, especially now that urea and 18-46 are in short supply because of the recent closure of major fertilizer plants in the United States, Venezuela, Russia and the Middle East.

The Philippines imports more than 90 percent of its fertilizer requirements.

The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority which strongly endorsed the product said that the 3-in-1 fertilizer has a similar proportion of 150 nitrogen, 115 phosphorous, and 120 potassium content of 20 bags required for application in a one-hectare farm.

This will cost only about P8,300 compared to the traditional fertilizer combinations that average P9,860 for 18 bags.

Since the fertilizer is locally-produced, planters can save as much as P1,500 per hectare on their production costs, said Umadhay.

It should be easy for sugar planters to shift to the 3-in-1 fertilizer, added Umadhay.

"Aside from the fact that no mixing is required, planters can take comfort in the knowledge that there is a corresponding 3-in-1 combination that will match the nutrient content of their present fertilizer mix," said Umadhay.

While sugar planters here are expected to eventually shift to the new product, a number of foreign buyers have already expressed interest in importing the product. Among them is a firm based in Bangladesh, which reportedly placed an initial order of 100,000 bags of 3-in-1 fertilizer.

Encouraged by the potentials of the 3-in-one fertilizer, Philphos is now also toying with the idea of developing similar products for other crops such as rice, corn, and for high-value crops such as fruits and vegetables.