Drop in onion farmgate prices hurting farmers

MANILA – Farmgate prices of onions have dropped amid the arrival of imported onions in the Philippines, an agriculture group said Friday.

• First batch of imported onions arrives in Philippines

Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) President Rosendo So said prices of white onions have dropped to P70-P90 per kilo from a high of P700 last December. 

"Ang puting sibuyas yesterday ano eh, nasa P70-90 ang puting sibuyas. Ito’y nasa Bongabon area, in Nueva Ecija, itong pula is tumatakbo as P170-P190 ang tumatakbong presyong yesterday," he said in a TeleRadyo interview. 

(Yesterday, white onions were at P70-P90 a kilo. This is in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija. Red onions were at P170-P190 a kilo yesterday.)

• Bentahan ng sibuyas unti-unting sumisigla ulit sa ilang palengke
• Sibuyas na mura pabor sa mga karinderya

Farmers, however, are hurting due to the low farmgate prices of the commodity, said James Ramos, administrator of the Facebook page Onion Farmers Philippines.

Ramos noted that the low prices are affecting their income.

“Siyempre ngayon lang po sana kami makakatikim ng magandang presyo kaso, ang ginawa naman ng (Department of Agriculture), sinabayan kami sa importation. Masakit po yun,” he said.

“For more than 30 years ngayon lang po sana makakatikim ng magandang kita mga farmers. Pero, hinadlangan ng DA dahil doon sa importation na yan.”

(This would have been the only time we'll get good prices for our products. But DA ordered an importation. For more than 30 years, this would have been the only time we would have made good money. But DA blocked that.)

He said farmers were not consulted ahead of the importation of onions.

“Yun po ang masakit eh, hindi man lang kami kinonsulta na mga farmers. Walang consultation na nangyari before sila nag-apruba ng imported,” he lamented.

(We farmers weren't consulted. They didn't talk to us before approving the importation.)

“Panawagan po sana naming sa DA na, kung maaari, pag-aralan mabuti, konsultahin kaming magsisibuyas bago sila mag-approve ng importation. Alam niyo sa totoo lang maganda yung proyekto ng pangulo na wag sana magpapasok ng imported.”

“Kaso ang DA, ugali na niyan, hindi namin alam, kahit sinong umupo dyan na secretary, pero nasa loob po yung ano eh, nasa loob po talaga yung bulok na sistema,” he noted. 

(We are calling on the DA, if it's possible, they should study the importation of onions properly and consult with us before approving importation. The president's program of not allowing imports would have been nice, but the thing about the DA is whoever sits at the top, there seems to already be a corrupt system inside.)

Ramos also said he wishes the government would provide more help to farmers like him.

"Kahit sana man magbigay man lang ng gaya ng yumaong ama ng ating pangulo noon, na nagbibigay ng ayuda sa mga farmers like yung mga boto, atsaka mga pataba.,” he added.

(I hope they would help us by giving us seeds and fertilizer, just like what the late president's father did.)

--TeleRadyo, 3 February 2023