121 permits for the importation of red onion, in the Philippines, have been approved by the Bureau of Plant Industry, as Typhoon Lando has destroyed the countries main onion growing area.
There are many more pending applications to ship red onions. At a maximum of 50 tons per permit, the number of permits approved, as of yesterday, represent cargo's totalling 6,050 tons.
Each permit is valid for two months. This means that the imports should arrive by the end of January 2016.
The volume represents 13% of the supply needed to meet domestic demand at this time of the year, which was 45,000 tons. The country consumes 485 tons of red onions daily, which add up to nearly 177,000 tons yearly.
“Because of Lando and also due to (the dry conditions resulting from) El Niño, farmers are not able to plant at the usual time of the year.” said Paz J. Benavidez II, officer-in-charge at the BPI.
Normally, onion growers start the year’s crop in October, as there is just one cropping every year, but the output is close to demand. The crop becomes ready for reaping by February, with the harvest peaking in March. This year, while farmers may still be able to plant onions, harvest may not be in time with the usual months when stocks are replenished.
