The Department of Agriculture (DA) eyes to extend the ban on the importation onions until July due to sufficient supply in cold storages.
“We will extend the ban on onion importation. Cold storages in onion- producing areas are filled and market prices are low so there’s no reason to import,” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told reporters in an interview yesterday.
Tiu Laurel said current market prices are stable, citing latest figures from Balintawak market, a major drop off point of agricultural goods in the National Capital Region.
The DA chief said in Balintawak market, red onions are priced between P60 and P70 per kg. while white onions are at P60 per kg.
Tiu Laurel said these levels are much lower than when he was new in the department in November last year. Onion prices were then at P120 to P140 per kg.
Last January, the DA ordered a temporary stop to onion imports until May to prevent further depressing onion prices due to supply glut.
Around 87 percent of areas planted to onion have red varieties while 13 percent are planted with white onions with the balance planted to shallots.
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country produced a total of 241,033.06 metric tons (MT) of mature onion bulb in 2022, up by 10.5 percent from 2021’s 218,047.33 MT.
Based on monitoring by the DA on public markets in the National Capital Region as of last Friday, the price of local red onion is at P70 to P160 per kg and local white onion at P60 to P130 per kg.
