The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on Wednesday assured an adequate supply of onions in the country amid spiking market prices. In a Laging Handa public briefing, BPI spokesperson Jose Diego Roxas said although there is a steady supply of onion for now, the market price is hitting as much as PHP160 to PHP200 per kilogram for red onion; while the local white onion is from PHP150 to PHP200/kg. ‘Sapat naman po ang ating supply ng sibuyas, mapapula o puti. Sa puting sibuyas, inaasahan na ang supply ay magtatagal po hanggang mid-July (The supply of our onion is enough, whether red or white [onion]. For the white onion, we expect its supply to last until mid-July),’ he said. ‘Samantalang ang pulang sibuyas naman po ay inaasahang magtatagal hanggang buwan ng Nobyembre hanggang Disyembre (While for our red onions, we’re expecting it to last to November until December),’ he added. However, he said that there was a need for the agriculture department to carry out interventions to stabilize the market price. Apart from considering importation, Roxas said one of the interventions under study is setting suggested retail prices (SRP) for red and white onions. ‘Napapanahon na po ang SRP, sapagkat ang SRP po, ito po ‘yung magiging basehan natin o benchmark kung ano po ba ‘yung tama at makatarungang presyo ng sibuyas (The SRP is timely, because SRP will be the basis or benchmark of the right and just price of onion),’ he said. Roxas added that setting the SRP would help determine if there would still be a need to import. The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday said among its considerations to stabilize the price is the importation of 22,000 metric tons of white and red onions, or equivalent to the country’s month-long consumption. Roxas said other solutions were discussed during the stakeholders’ meeting, such as the proposed collaboration of the DA and the local governments’ local price coordinating council. The council is expected to ensure the implementation of SRP once it is established and the intensification of coordination with the Philippine Competition Commission to investigate and combat price manipulation among traders. ‘Rest assured that with these interventions, we can hope that the DA is doing its best to stabilize the market price, a price that is affordable and just for consumers,’ Roxas said in mixed English and Filipino. The BPI, meanwhile, reiterated that if the country opted to implement importation, it should be ‘calibrated’ or just enough to cover the volume lapse of local production. Although there is no specified importation timeline yet, the BPI said historical data shows the shortage of white onions lasts for five months, while the red onions reach a one-month shortage span starting in December. The country, however, is expected to approach its harvest season by January next year, hence, the need for a reasonable importation volume and timing.
Source: Philippines News Agency