MANILA — With present stocks seen to last only a month, at least 4,000 metric tons of white onions are expected to arrive in the country next week, according to officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Plant Industry.
BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban yesterday said the imported white onions would arrive in the next seven days.
In a separate interview, Agriculture Assistant Secretary and deputy spokesman Rex Estoperez said there is no need for President Marcos or Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban to issue a special order for the importation of onions.
Stocks of red onions in cold storage facilities are estimated to reach 100 days.
“We are doing this (importation) to sustain the current retail prices and prevent prices from spiking again,” Estoperez said, referring to the situation in December wherein the retail prices of onions reached as high as P720 per kilo.
He said the DA was able to maintain the retail prices of onions at below P200 per kilo after the harvest in April.
Retail prices of local red onions ranged between P140 and P190 per kilo; local white onions between P110 and P170 and imported white onions between P110 and P160 per kilo.
Estoperez urged traders to stop hoarding red onions to prevent artificial shortage.
“If the red onions will not be released from cold storages, that will be to their (traders) disadvantage. They should not force us to import red onions as it is detrimental to them. We are appealing to traders to cooperate with the government,” Estoperez added.
He said the DA has learned from the spike of retail prices on onions.
“We will not allow that (P720 per kilo of onions) to happen as last time they promised to release the inventory, but it did not happen and cause a delay in the importation,” Estoperez said.
He said the importation of white onions is needed due to high demand from restaurants and institutional buyers.
The retail price of onions will be maintained until the next harvest next year, he said.
“We want it (current price) to be sustained or even lower, depending on the harvest of farmers if they have a bumper harvest,” he said.
Estoperez said the six-month preventive suspension against Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista and other officials showed the need to abide by the rules and regulations to prevent a similar situation from happening. (philstar)
