Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 13) — A farmers’ group on Monday said it projects prices of local onions to further decrease next month as supply is seen to be enough until September.
“We see a lesser price this coming March for the white onion and the red onion will also go down this coming March,” Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) Chairman Rosendo So told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
So noted that the farmgate price of a kilogram of red onions is seen to decline from the current ₱150 to ₱60 by next month, while a kilo of white onions is seen to decline from ₱50 to ₱35.
Last month, the government approved the importation of onions to address the spike in prices, which even exceeded ₱700 per kilogram, due to supply issues. The Department of Agriculture (DA) set the suggested retail price of imported onions at ₱125 per kilogram in Metro Manila markets to address the issue of overpricing.
Out of the 21,000 metric tons (MT) approved, only around 3,800 MT were issued with import permit by the Bureau of Plant Industry and have arrived in the country, So said.
He also said the group does not see any problem with it since it is only a small volume and will not affect farmers.
Supply is also projected to stabilize as farmers harvest more local produce, which will peak this March, he said.
“’Yung harvest ng May and April and March, ‘yun ang nilalagay na sa cold storage na in which kung makikita natin, September, siguradong hindi mauubos ‘yung stocks kung naglagay sa cold storage,” So added.
[Translation: The harvest in May, April, and March will be stored in the cold storage facility, which we see will not be exhausted by September as long as supply is being placed in the cold storage.]
Given this, So said the next importation should be done by September.
Meanwhile, he said prices of other agricultural commodities, like vegetables and eggs, have also stabilized.
Garlic, however, is currently seeing a slight increase in prices due to lack of supply, So said. Harvesting will only start by March and April, he said.
