Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 14) — Local producers of onions lost about ₱168 million due to the alleged negligence of a cold storage facility in Bulacan province, an agricultural cooperative said Tuesday.
Israel Reguyal, chairman of Bonena Multipurpose Cooperative, said about 128,000 bags of onions were stored at a certain Royal Cargo in Marilao in the early part of 2022.
Despite onions being sensitive to temperature, Reguyal said that the cold storage service provider had let the temperature drop too low, resulting in rotten crops.
He said a case has been filed against Royal Cargo.“Sa aming pagkakaalam ay dahil sa kapabayaan, nasobrahan sa lamig, nag-yelo ‘yung sibuyas [As far as we know, it is due to negligence, overexposure to the cold that caused the onion to freeze],” he said during a House committee’s probe on hoarding and price manipulation of traders.Although the produce got wasted, farmers were still forced to cough up money for storage fees, Reguyal noted.Had the onions not rotted, Reguyal said the supply could have helped ease the supposed shortage issue in local markets.
