Onion Importation No Longer An Option – DA
The Department of Agriculture is holding off its recommendation to import onions as it expects some early onion harvest this month while full-blown harvest is seen by February.
Onion importation is no longer an option to avoid hoarding as the harvest season approaches, according to an official of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In an interview over dzBB radio on Wednesday, Dec. 7, DA deputy spokesman Rex Estoperez said the agency is holding off its recommendation to import onions despite the supply shortage and sky-high prices.
The DA expects some early onion harvest this month while full-blown harvest is seen by February.
“In February or within the first quarter, we will see onion harvests, but this month, some can already be harvested. We still have a little inventory to get us through this holiday season,” Estoperez said.
He added that some entities may abuse the importation permit by hoarding the products, then wait for prices to increase again before releasing the produce into markets.
Meanwhile, the DA said the government would intensify monitoring and surveillance in ports as more white onions – as well as red onions – are smuggled into the country.
Based on reports by the DA and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), onions are continuously being smuggled into the country by misdeclaring them as other products, according to Estoperez.
“What we are going to do is really keep a close watch on ports because there are a lot of onions being smuggled in,” he said.
“Prices of onions are high as the supply was affected by typhoons, but we have to make sure no smuggled onions will be sold in markets,” he added.
The DA official reiterated that the government has not issued any import permit for onions.
While the country has not had any supply of white or yellow onions since July, smuggled red onions compete with the locally produced red onions, according to Estoperez.
“As per the instruction of President Marcos to Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, we should set an example in the crackdown of syndicates smuggling onions,” he added.
As for the white onions confiscated last week, they will no longer be sold at Kadiwa centers since some have started to become rotten.
“Those confiscated will no longer pass the phytosanitary inspection. We no longer expect them to be sold at Kadiwa,” Estoperez said.
Last week, the government confiscated a cargo of 100,000 kilos of white onions valued at P30 million, which were misdeclared as “bread/pastries.” – With Robertzon Ramirez, Ric Sapnu
