Farmers’ alliance: No basis for onion prices to rise anew, we can’t have a repeat of crisis

THE biggest alliance of farm groups in the country on Friday called out the government for the resurgent spike in onion prices, noting that all developments indicate this should not be the case.

Taposnayung bulk ng harvest, except Occidental Mindoro and a few areas sa

Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan [The bulk of the harvest is over, except Occidental Mindoro and a few areas in Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan],” said SINAG, or the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura.

Currently, according to SINAG executive director Jayson Cainglet, farm-gate prices hover between P100 and P120; hence, he stressed, maximum retail price should not exceed P200 per kilo.

“By June, all onions in the market would be coming from traders/cold storage owners and importers,” he added.

Cainglet recalled that, “at peak harvest this first quarter, farmers sold their onions to traders between P50-100/kilo [farm gate]; landed cost of imported onions is only between P25-P40/kilo,” and added, “at no point must retail prices exceed P200/kilo.”

Per SINAG’s reports from the field, stocks of white onions will last until August-September.

“This early, DA must already plan the importation of white onions, but they must have the right information regarding stocks at the cold storages and inventory of where the onion imports went. Unfortunately, [harvest is over]; but the Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Plant Industry [BPI] have neither information.”

Cainglet pointed out that “as early as July last year, we advised BPI to import

7,500 MT [metric tons] of white onions; unfortunately, ibaangkanilangpinakinggan [they listened to other parties].”

It is inexcusable (for DA-BPI), said the SINAG officer, if the country sees “a repeat of the artificial shortage of red onions and apparent hoarding that resulted in the spike of onion prices late last year up to early this year.”