Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he has instructed the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to inspect onion warehouses all-over the country to determine whether newly harvested supplies are being withheld from the market.
Laurel, in a statement released on Monday, said onion harvests were expected to begin this month which should have provided fresh supplies to ease prices but noted that it has not reached markets as expected.
“Last Friday, I directed the Bureau of Plant Industry and its team to visit all the onion cold storage facilities across the country and inspect whether newly harvested onions are being kept there instead of being sold… If they are, that’s wrong. Onions are typically stored toward the middle or end of the harvest season, not at the start. This clearly points to price manipulation—it’s hoarding,” Tiu Laurel said.
He warned that hoarding and price manipulation are illegal trade practices punishable by law.
