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Imee Marcos wants DA inventory on white onions
Last month, local onion producers admitted that their stock of white onions has been depleted. (Pexels photo)
MANILA – Senator Imeee Marcos on Sunday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to conduct an inventory of white onions as she promised to raise funds for cold storage facilities in order to preserve the product of local farmers.
Marcos said that from PHP40 per kilo, white onions are now sold up to PHP400 per kilo to popular fast food chains by Divisoria-based onion traders.
She advised the DA to trace the traders who bought white onions from local farmers and find out if they (traders) are hoarding the crop in cold storage facilities.
“Without a comprehensive inventory, we cannot arrive at a well-calibrated importation policy that answers consumer demand but also relieves our local growers from low farmgate prices,” the senator said in her statement.
She said the national budget should provide more cold storage facilities for local farmers, adding that smugglers of imported white onions are now taking advantage of the situation by selling the commodity 10 times the usual price to the restaurant industry.
The DA has started listing the names of traders gathered from farmers in major onion-growing provinces like Nueva Ecija and Mindoro, but Marcos pressed for the inclusion of farmers in the Visayas and Mindanao to get a better grasp of the situation.
Marcos urged the government to already link more local farmers with the restaurant industry, ahead of the next major harvest in April while waiting for the results of the inventory.
“We can shut out smugglers from the supply chain through contract-growing, wherein industrial buyers assure local growers of income from their upcoming harvests and, in turn, are assured supply of (the) staple ingredient in their food products,” she said.
Last month, local onion producers admitted that their stock of white onions has been depleted.
Marcos expressed concern that low harvests of white onions in November will fall short of higher demand when Christmas comes around.
“Wet weather conditions will aggravate the situation if these cause white onions to sprout or rot in storage,” she pointed out.
Stellara Florencio
August 29, 2022 at 6:58 PM
Maybe it’s time for the DA to do an inventory to find out what is true and the reason for the increase in the price of white onions. All the goods are expensive nowadays but they should give consideration to the buyers who are also struggling.
Rene Rose Oriol
August 30, 2022 at 1:56 AM
Dapat diretsyo na sa DA yung mga products ng mga local farmers. Para ndi na dadaan sa mga middle man at mga traders.Sila kci ang nagkokontrol ng presyo ng mga bilihin tinatago nila ito at kapag mataas na ang demand tsaka nila ilalabas at ibebenta sa mas malaking halaga kawawa ang mga magsasaka. Sila ang nagpakahirap magtanim pero sila ang laging niloloko at nalulugi. Dapat imbestigahan ng pamahalaan ang mga smuglers at parusahan ito.tanggalin din sa puwesto ang mga tumatanggap ng lagay sa DA.Maglaan ng sapat na pondo upang matulungan ang mga magsasaka. At magkaroon ng sapat na supply. Sobrang taas na ng mga bilihin.Mas Maraming Pilipino ang nagdurusa. Iwasan na ang rin ang pag angkat ng produkto galing sa ibang bansa suportahan ang ating sariling produkto upang umunlad ang ating ekonomiya.