A Department of Agriculture official claims a crime syndicate could be hoarding red onions, the price of which stayed high two weeks ahead of Christmas, with authorities checking cold storage facilities for hoarded supplies.
DA spokesperson Rex Estoperez said he received information that some onions were bought way below the cost of production during the harvest season and have not yet been released in public markets.
At the same time, Estoperez, in a Super Radyo dzBB interview, warned those selling smuggled onions online or in markets they might face charges.
Estoperez explained they did not issue a permit to import white onions, thus those found selling this agricultural product would have their permits automatically canceled.
He added during a public hearing: “The prices are not moving even though we are encouraging those hiding red onions to release them. In some markets, there is a slight price movement, but this is too small.
“They have a responsibility to our countrymen and our monitoring team… If anything happens to the consumers, do they pay for them? Even though you bought the onions for a cheap price, the hospital bills are more expensive.”
The DA said Monday the smuggled onions intercepted by authorities were not fit for consumption after they were found with traces of bacteria.
Estoperez said the first batch of onions seized by authorities were about 100,000 kilos, which would all be burned or buried to be turned into compost.
He reminded those who would buy these onions that the government would not be held accountable for what would happen to them if they consumed them.
Estoperez said monitoring teams would also visit Nueva Ecija to check possible off-season harvests that could increase the red onion supply, which he said was enough until the end of the year except for the price issue.
Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista earlier this month said the supply of red onions seemed “sufficient” based on data collated by the Bureau of Plant Industry, but other factors might have contributed to its possible shortage.