A farmers’ group said on Tuesday that there is no need to import onions as its local supply at present is enough to meet the country’s requirements.
According to Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) president Rosendo So, the local harvest of white onion is seen as sufficient until July and red onion until November this year.
“The [supply of] white onions will be sufficient until the end of July. That’s a welcome development. The red onion will suffice until almost November. That’s the estimate for our onion products,” he said.
The SINAG leader added that the cold storage facilities for onions are full, noting that these root vegetables are not just stocked but sold little by little as long as there are regular buyers.
“It is not specific that it will be released before July. It is being sold continuously,” he said, noting that white onions should not last long in storage.
‘The [supply of] white onions will be sufficient until the end of July.’
“It should be disposed of in about three to four months. That’s why others really sell it. When July comes, some might be rotten,” he noted.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday mulled extending the import ban on onions due to the country’s bountiful yield this harvest season.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said that onion prices are stable, which So backed up, saying, “The price [of onions] is still okay because what can be bought at the farmgate at that time is around P45 to P50. So if the price becomes stable there, the price is still fine.”
A temporary import ban on onions was imposed in January, which is supposed to end this month.
The DA earlier forecasted a supply glut due to the increase in domestic harvest, citing that a bigger area was planted with onions this year, which increased by 40 percent to around 10,217 hectares.
