MANILA - The Department of Agriculture on Thursday announced they will temporarily stop selling cheaper onions at their Kadiwa stores starting this Friday, January 13, 2022.

DA Spokesperson Kristine Evangelista said the memorandum of agreement with their supplier, Food Terminal Inc, lapsed last December 31, 2022.

But the agency is currently looking for a second cycle to continue selling cheaper onions.

Evangelista said they will consider the new farmgate price of local onions after a steep drop when the importation plans were announced.

"Nakikipag-usap kami sa FTI kasi tinitingnan natin yung second cycle so baka kailangan namin ng supplemental na memorandum of agreement para magkaroon tayo ng second cycle ng sibuyas," Evangelista said.

The announcement came a few days after the Office of the Ombudsman investigated the agency for purchasing onions at a higher price and selling them much lower.

For the past few days, Kadiwa saw long lines of people queueing for onions which they sold at 170/kilo.

This is a stark contrast to onions in markets which have reached P500-600/kilo.

Inflation quickened to a 14-year high of 8.1 percent in December due to higher prices of select food items including onions and other vegetables.

• Philippines to import 21,060 metric tons of onions as prices soar: DA exec
• 'Wrong timing': Farmers group says local onion harvest to be affected by imports

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