Onion farmers in Oriental Mindoro are stocking up their produce amid a drop in prices due to oversupply, a farmers group said Tuesday.

James Guiller Salas, chairperson of the Bulalacao Onion Industry Council, said onion prices have been dropping since last week. Latest retail prices showed onions being sold at P60/kilo for both red and white onions in Balintawak.

Onion harvests have also been affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

“Mabilis ang pagbaba ng presto ng sibuyas compared last week…Puno na ang mga cold storage facilities na ni-re-rent nila ngayon,” Salas said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview. 

“Maraming farmers na hindi makabawi sa puhunan nila dahil sa pagbaba ng presto ng sibuyas. Malulugi po,” he added.

Some farmers have resorted to keeping their harvests at home for the next 2 months in the hopes that prices will rise.

The council is also discussing a possible private-public partnership where ordinary farmers can bring their produce to cold storage facilities without releasing capital. Cold storage fees are currently at P14-P17 per red bag monthly.