Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 4) – Senator Risa Hontiveros has urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to build more cold storage facilities for onion farmers in Mindoro, Nueva Ecija, Ilocos, and Pangasinan.

“We should give farmers what they need,” the senator said in a statement on Friday. “Bago magsimula ang budget hearings ng Senado, dapat na maglabas ng plano ang DA at DTI para magkaroon na ng sapat na cold storage facilities ang ating mga magsasaka.”

[Translation: Before the budget hearings of the Senate begin, the DA and DTI should release a plan so that our farmers will have enough cold storage facilities.]

“It does not have to be heavy on the budget,” she added. “Eventually the availability of cold storage facilities will be a catalyst for the production of other seasonal farm produce.”

Hontiveros, together with former senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, met with the onion growers of Occidental Mindoro on Thursday to discuss the ongoing onion crisis.

She said the lack of cold storage facilities contributes to harvest and revenue losses of onion farmers in the province.

Municipal agriculturist Romel Calingasan earlier called for the establishment of more storage facilities in Occidental Mindoro.

READ: Gov’t urged to build more storage facilities to prevent onion crisis

Calingasan said local farmers are being forced to sell onions for ₱8 to ₱15 per kilo during the harvest season in 2022, yet traders are selling them for ₱700 per kilo in Metro Manila markets.

READ: House probe sought on surge in onion prices

Farmers also said onion prices should not fall below ₱100 per kilogram to allow them to recover their capital.

Occidental Mindoro is located in Region 4-B, the country’s top onion producing region, together with Region 3.