‘If you want to get rich, plant onions’

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan, Philippines — Farmers in this province’s onion capital are benefiting from the high price of the produce due to low supply in the market.

Onion farmers here are now “millionaires” because of the price spike, as red onions, with a farmgate price of P120 a kilo, are sold in the market at P200, Artemio Buezon, municipal agriculturist, told The STAR yesterday.

Buezon said this has been going on for a month and is expected to extend up to next month.

“They say if you want to get rich, plant onions,” he said, adding those who benefit from the high price are the farmers who planted early, or from September to October last year.

Bayambang produces about 23 metric tons of red onions yearly.

Meanwhile, the farmgate price of white onions is P60 per kilo and sold in the market at P120.

The volume of production for white onions is almost the same as red onions, Buezon said.

About 1,500 hectares of property in the town are planted with red onions and 80 hectares with white onions.

One hectare of onion produces 15,000 kilos.

Among the villages in Bayambang with the highest onion production are Manambong Sur, Manambong Norte, Manambong Parte, Amancosiling Sur, Amancosiling Norte, San Gabriel and Buayaen.

The town has about 1,000 onion farmers.

Buezon said that unlike previous years, this year’s produce was not infested with army worms.

He said the government should not import red onions yet as local supply is adequate.

The government is planning to import about 35,000 metric tons of red onions following the price hike of the commodity due to low supply in the market.

Onion farmers store their extra produce in cold storage when price is low in order not to affect their profit.

The local government provides onion seeds to farmers, especially during pest infestation or calamities. It also provides farmers with proper training to upgrade theirknowledge on crop production.

Mayor Cezar Quiambao earlier said it’s time to focus on product innovation for added value, like converting onions into powder or chips.

Quiambao said students at the Pangasinan State University (PSU) in Bayambang are currently engaged in a food innovation program.

Aside from onions, product innovation is also being done for the town’s other produce such as tomatoes, pumpkins and okra.

Quaimbao said a processing center would be put up by a private entity upon the invitation of the local government, in coordination with the PSU, which will help market the products.