BOI Partners with AgriSpecialist for Local Biofertilizer Commercialization and Promotion

Manila – The Board of Investments (BOI) has embarked on a collaborative effort with AgriSpecialist, Inc. (ASI) to commercialize and promote locally-developed biofertilizer products. This initiative aims to enhance the agricultural sector’s productivity and sustainability.

According to Philippines News Agency, the focus is on the BIO-N biofertilizer, developed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. ASI is producing this biofertilizer at its facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Discussions between the BOI and ASI revealed that the use of Bio-N could potentially increase farmers’ yields by 11 percent.

The BOI highlighted the efficiency of Bio-N, noting that only five to six 200-gram sachets of the biofertilizer are needed to replace two 50-kilogram bags of urea per hectare of rice. This substitution could lead to significant cost savings for farmers, estimated at around PHP 10,000 per hectare.

ASI’s Laguna facility is poised to become the first commercial-scale manufacturing plant for biofertilizers in the Philippines. With the planned expansion of the plant, it is anticipated to meet 100 percent of the country’s biofertilizer needs.

Both the BOI and ASI are actively seeking potential partners and users for these locally-developed biofertilizer products, marking a significant step towards boosting the agricultural sector’s productivity and contributing to sustainable farming practices in the Philippines.