The Department of Agriculture said it is assessing the state of the onion inventory ahead of a decision to import the commodity. Rex C. Estoperez, DA deputy spokesperson, said this weekend: “We will decide next week whether we need to import onions and other agricultural produce.”
In October, the DA set a suggested retail price of P170 per kilogram for red onion in the National Capital Region (NCR), Estoperez said this month prices of red onion sold in wet markets averaged P280 per kilo.
Estoperez said that based on Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) projections, the current supply of onions can meet the holiday demand: “Based on BPI’s inventory, we have at least 10,000 metric tons of onion in the markets. This is the latest inventory. The BPI said this is enough until the holiday season, but demand usually rises this month."
Smuggled onions unfit for consumption
Estoperez added that the DA will clamp down on smuggling of agricultural products.
The DA said that the 100,000 kilos of smuggled onions intercepted at the port of Manila is not fit for human consumption. The onions did not pass the phytosanitary test, which was the requisite before selling the onions in DA's Kadiwa Centers.
[ P1 = €0.017 ]
