Onion prices going up again

MANILA, Philippines — The retail prices of onions have increased again by at least P20 per kilo as the highest selling price reached P200 per kilo compared to P180 per kilo last week, according to the monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Based on DA monitoring on Monday, the bulbs were priced as high as P200 per kilo at Guadalupe Public Market in Makati and Marikina Public Market in Marikina City.

The retail prices of onions ranged between P160 and P190 per kilo in other Metro Manila markets, including New Las Piñas City Public Market; San Andres Market, Quinta Market, Pritil Market in Manila; Pamilihang Lungsod ng Muntinlupa; Pasay City Market; Pasig City Market; Commonwealth Market, Muñoz Market, Mega Q-Market in Quezon City and Malabon Central Market.

Farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) president Rosendo So said the DA should prepare for the importation of white onions in August to prevent another crisis in December.

So said the harvest of onions was already completed in Northern Luzon while it is still ongoing for farmers in the Mindoro area.

He added that the bulk of stocks are now in the hands of traders.?According to So, the DA should learn from the country’s experience in December last year when there was a shortage in the bulbs amid the failure of the government to import.

The Sinag official noted that because of the lack of supply of white bulbs that time, institutional buyers like restaurants shifted to red onions, causing the shortage in the supply of onions in December 2022 where demand was high because of the holidays.

The retail prices of onions reached P720 per kilo in December 2022 amid the shortage in supply.

According to the DA, in 2022 the country’s total onion harvest reached 283,172 metric tons. In 2021, onion production totaled 218,050 MT.

At least 29,728 hectares of land across the country are planted with onions.