The MAGSASAKA Party-List expressed opposition to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) decision to allow the importation of 3,000 metric tons of red onions and 1,000 metric tons of white onions.
“The DA’s decision is ill-timed. Onion harvests have already begun in major producing municipalities such as Bayambang in Pangasinan, San Jose in Occidental Mindoro and Bongabon and Laur in Nueva Ecija,” said MAGSASAKA board member and first nominee Leonardo Montemayor.
He said allowing imports would depress farmgate prices and worsen the financial challenges faced by onion producers, who are already grappling with rising farm input costs and infestations by army worms.
A former Agriculture secretary, Montemayor acknowledged the DA’s intention to avoid a repeat of the extremely high onion prices experienced in 2022.
“However, the DA, together with the Department of Trade and Industry and other law enforcement agencies, must also monitor cold storage operators and traders to prevent profiteering and cartel-like behavior,” he said.
He said there seemed to be minimal, if any, consultation with farmers and their organizations about the importation plan.
The DA on Thursday declared its intention to allow importers and traders to bring in red and white onions as buffer inventory while awaiting the next harvest.
Onion prices surged to a record high of P700 per kilogram in 2022 due to a supply shortage and delayed imports.
Based on government data, the Philippines consumes 17,000 metric tons (MT) of red onion and 4,000 MT of white onions annually.
The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) estimated that local inventory of red onions may last until February 2025. As of mid-January, the BPI reported that red onion stocks stood at 8,500 metric tons, while white onion stocks were at 1,628 metric tons.
By March 2025, onion supply is expected to increase to 33,000 MT from fresh harvest.