Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said yesterday the importation of 4,000 metric tons of onions should not affect the expected harvest in mid-March to April as it aims to address the 7,000 MT-gap this month.
In a briefing for journalists at the presidential palace, Laurel said the imported volume is necessary to ensure enough supply and prevent a spike in retail prices amid the projected deficit in February.
The imports — 3,000 MT of red onions and 1,000 MT of the white variety — are not even enough to fill the perceived or estimated gap this month, he said.
“So hindi dapat mag-worry and tsaka mahirap naman na wala akong gawin at hayaan na lang, na maghintay ako ng sitwasyon kung kailan ba talaga magha-harvest ang farmers (So they should not worry and it would be difficult for me not to do anything and just to let it be and wait until the farmers would actually do the harvest),” he said.
Laurel said this early he had received reports that the prices of onion had already risen to P170 a kilo from P110 in the Balintawak area.
He said he had to think of the consumers who are affected by the rising prices apart from the local farmers and “tactically address any spikes.”
“Ang question lang naman e, gaano karami dapat yung i-import e, iyung question of whether to import or not for February, kailangan talaga (the question is how much to import and not whether to import or not for February, because we really need to),” he said.
He said he was informed by major onion farmers and producers in Nueva Ecija that the actual harvest of onions is set for the third week of March.
Former Agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor, however, said some towns such as Bayambang in Pangasinan, San Jose in Occidental Mindoro and Bongabon and Laur in Nueva Ecija have already started harvesting their onions. Thus, the Department of Agriculture’s decision to import onions is ill-timed and may affect the farmers, Montemayor said.
In the same briefing in Malacañang, Laurel said the national government expects to distribute the National Food Authority (NFA) rice to local government units (LGUs) by next week.
At least 50 LGUs, such as those in Metro Manila like San Juan and Navotas, have already signified their interest to roll out and sell the P35 per kilo NFA rice after the food security emergency that the DA declared last week, Laurel said.
Documentation requirements that will allow the NFA to unload rice to LGUs which in turn will sell it to the public are being firmed up, he said.
“Hopefully matapos lahat ng documentation between FTI (Food Terminal Incorporated), NFA to FTI, FTI to LGU and by next week maro-roll out na hopefully ‘yan [Hopefully all documentation will be done between FTI, NFA to FTI, FTI to LGU and by next week we could roll this out],” Laurel said.
Laurel last week declared a food security emergency on rice based on the recommendations from the National Price Coordinating Council.
The emergency declaration would allow the release of rice buffer stocks held by the NFA to stabilize prices and ensure that rice is accessible to consumers.
As this developed, Laurel said restoring the tariff rates on imported rice to 35 percent would only be likely if the prices of the staple grain go down to P42 per kilo to P45 per kilo.
He said at present it is down to P55 per kilo.
“(Around) P42 to P45 per kilo, somewhere there. And puwede ng i-review at i-recommend for restoration or maybe not full restoration, it can be from 15 to 20 or 15 to 25 or full 35, depende na sa sitwasyon. Depende sa consultations with everybody (Around P42 to P45 per kilo, somewhere there. We can already -review and recommend for restoration or maybe not full restoration, it can be from 15 to 20 or 15 to 25 or full 35, depending on the situation. Depending on the consultations with everybody),” he said.
The president, through Executive Order 62, last year reduced the tariff on imported rice to 15 percent from 35 percent to reduce the prices and increase the supply.
Pork SRP
Laurel said his agency is also studying the possible imposition of a suggested retail price for pork amid reports that it is selling for P380 to P420 a kilo despite the farmgate price of only P240 to P250 per kilo.
Laurel said selling pork above P400 per kilo is unreasonable.
“We’re currently studying that and digging deep on the whole value chain of pork to see that there is profiteering or none. If we have identified that there is profiteering, then definitely we will be doing an MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) also for pork,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
He said he expects their study to be completed by the end of month and come up with the decision on MSRP for pork by then.
