Congress eyes monitoring of onion's 'unfair prices'

The House of Representatives would keep a close eye on the prices of onion, which have dropped after months of reaching unreasonable levels.

The cost of onions in the market skyrocketed during the last quarter of 2022, ranging from P500 to P700 per kilo, prompting the Department of Agriculture late last year to resort to importation to prevent the absurd jacking up of the commodity's price.

The DA's latest price monitoring report showed that red and white onions cost P90 and P81 per kilogram, respectively.

Imported white onion, meanwhile, is priced at P93 per kg.

Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo said Monday that the House Committee on Agriculture and Food has collaborated with other key government agencies to keep a check on onion farmers, who have fallen prey to private traders hauling their crops at "unfair prices."

The neophyte lawmaker said there is a pressing need to actively seek out and police unscrupulous traders who exploit unwitting local farmers, ultimately affecting the onion prices in the market being offered to the general public.

"It seems that we need to deal with them every day, because they are just trying to calm down the issue and when it is already quiet, they will again wholesale onions at low prices, either hoarding or hiding them and selling them at a very high price in the market," Tulfo lamented.

The House leadership has vowed to monitor markets to ensure compliance with the suggested retail price set by the government and to stave off price gouging of basic commodities, especially food.

In August last year, Speaker Martin Romualdez and Tulfo staged a surprise inspection in two wet markets in Quezon City in the wake of a looming spike in onion prices due to hoarding and price manipulation.

The House vowed to exercise its oversight functions to combat inflation and ensure that essential commodities are at low cost.