The prevailing retail prices of onions have dropped to as low as P170 per kilo for the loc white variety amid higher supply as imports arrived on schedule.
The Department of Agriculture’s Bantay Presyo showed the lowest price was recorded for local white onions at P170/kg, with the highest at P300/kg.
Imported white onions are set at P250/kg to P260/kg.
The prevailing price range of local red onions, on the other hand, stood at P240/kg to P350/kg, higher than the price range of imported red onions set at P200/kg to P250/kg.
DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said the government is working on bringing back the prices to peak harvest levels.
“The lowest price was as low as P67/kg or Onions…less than P70/kg. So, that’s what we’re looking into, how to bring back that level of price, although this price was during the peak of harvest,” she said.
To achieve this, the DA said discussions with other layers in the entire value chain have to be made.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for a meeting of onion industry stakeholders on Monday.
Evangelista acknowledged that “too many layers of traders” had pushed up the prices of local onions.
“Locally, we have seen that there are players and many layers of traders, and that definitely affects the price in the retail market,” she said.
