DA working on bringing onion prices down, mulls importation

Amid the rising prices of onions in select markets, the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday said it is studying all options, including possibly importing the commodity, to lower its cost.

Interviewed on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said they are coordinating with onion farmers to determine how they could lower the farmgate price, which currently stands at P100 to P120 per kilo.

“Medyo mataas talaga ang ating farmgate price ngayon. Tinitignan natin kung paano, kung pwede talagang i-peg na lang sana sa P100 [per kilo] ang farmgate kung saan nakabawi na ating mga magsasaka, may margins na sila,” she said.

(Onion’s farmgate price is really quite high now. We are looking at how or if we could peg the farmgate price at P100 per kilo, where our farmers already have their margins.)

She said the DA also has to monitor the inflow and outflow of onion stocks in cold storage facilities, and check ports and markets to determine if there are smuggled onions being sold.

“Sa ngayon, wala naman tayong nakikitang imported na mga sibuyas. Pero all the angles are being looked into para we are working on bringing down the price of onions para sa ating consumers,” Evangelista said.

(Right now, we don't see any imported onions. But all the angles are being looked into, so we are working on bringing down the price of onions for our consumers.)

According to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on Saturday, the supply of red onions in the country is enough to last until November, while that of white onions can last until September.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) on Sunday called on the government to import white onions by July to avert a possible shortage and price increases. As for red onions, the group said the importation could be done at a later time.

Evangelista said the DA will consider importing the commodity for price stability purposes. She, however, did not provide an estimated date as to when this will take place.

“Siyempre, kailangan nating ma-maintain ang supply. At the same time, we will check ‘yung supply, nakakarating mismo sa palengke. ‘Pag ito ay sapat, ang presyo natin ay magiging stable,” she said.

(We need to be able to maintain the supply. At the same time, we will check if the supply reaches the market itself. If this is enough, our price will be stable.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News