Senator Imee Marcos lamented the plight of local farmers and the low farmgate prices amid the planned importation of onion. | DFernandezINQ
In mid-November, farmgate costs were at P25 to P27 per kilo, lower than the P45 to P55 per kilo that farmers need to break even at harvest time.“Importation has been part of a cycle of price manipulation by traders in cahoots with corrupt officials in the DA and the Bureau of Customs. Turning a blind eye to hoarding and smuggling leave us stuck with the stop-gap measure of importation,” the senator said.
“Local crops are hoarded to cause an artificial shortage, then sold when consumer demand pushes up market prices. High prices then back up a call for importation that pushes down farmgate prices. Traders then buy from local farmers at depressed prices and hoard the crop once again, while smugglers profit on misdeclared and undervalued imports,” she elaborated.
Citing the Bureau of Plant Industry’s November monitoring report, Marcos said that over 43 percent of red onion harvests will be in December. A yield of 5,537.3 metric tons of red onions is expected out of the 12,837.9 metric tons total expected yield until February next year, the report showed. However, the BPI noted that the anticipated yield in this month and the monitored stock of 13,043.37 metric tons still lead to a supply shortage in onions in December due toHence, the DA recommended onion importation.
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