Farmers decry onion importation

MANILA, Philippines — Onion farmers have criticized the decision of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to import the bulb, describing it as a “double whammy” as plantations in Nueva Ecija, the country’s onion capital, are being attacked by armyworms.

Victor Danipog, an onion farmer from Nueva Ecija, said farmers have yet to recover from losses incurred during the storms in November and the recent worm attack.

“Now here come the imported onions. Our farmers are already feeling the impact of the announcement of the DA that it will import onions,” Danipog said over dzBB.

He noted that farmers were forced to plant onions anew after the devastation of their farms in November last year, and had to spend more on pesticides after armyworms attacked their plantations – a process that forced them to spend P300,000 to P400,000 per hectare.

Farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) yesterday said the decision to import at least 4,000 metric tons (MT) of onions in the middle of harvest season will drive down farmers’ incomes while benefiting a few importers.

KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos said the government’s continued dependence on importation as a band-aid solution has consistently failed to stabilize prices.

“The 2022 onion crisis, when retail prices of onion skyrocketed to P700 per kilo, was not a result of production failure but of cartel manipulation and government inefficiencies. Instead of addressing the root causes like hoarding, price manipulation and lack of farmer support, the DA continues to rely on importation, further crippling local producers,” Ramos said.

According to the DA, the importation of 3,000 MT of red onions and 1,000 MT of white onions is necessary to prevent a spike in retail price of the bulbs, which has reportedly reached P200 per kilo.

But Ramos said the government’s onion importation “right in the middle of harvest season is a deliberate act of economic sabotage that will only drive down farmers’ incomes.”

“Instead of importation, the government should focus on strengthening local production by providing post-harvest facilities, cold storage and direct market access for farmers. The DA should stop these imports so that Filipino farmers can get fair prices for their hard-earned produce,” Ramos added.

According to Danipog, traders have stopped buying onions from local farmers in anticipation of the arrival of imported bulbs.

“At present the farmgate price (of onions) is at P70 (per kilo). We will earn if that farmgate price is maintained. But, buyers already stopped buying because of the impending importation. Nobody buys (onions in the farms),” Danipog said.

“If the farmgate price of onions reaches P25 (per kilo), we cannot even recover our expenses,” Danipog said.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the importation is necessary amid the projected deficit  in onion supply this month and the increase in the retail price of the bulbs.

Tiu Laurel said the imported bulbs should arrive on Feb. 20.

Former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor criticized the importation decision, calling it ill-timed amid the ongoing harvests in major onion-producing areas like Bayambang in Pangasinan, San Jose in Occidental Mindoro and Bongabon and Laur in Nueva Ecija.