Imported onions to last only until harvest season - DA

MANILA, February 18 ------ The country's stock of imported onions is only sufficient until harvest season begins, the Department of Agriculture said. "In latest monitoring reports covering about 82 percent of cold storage warehouses showed 4,454.09 metric tons (MT) of red onion stocks and 5,271.15 MT of yellow onions, nearly all of the stocks imported," they said in a news release. "At an average warehouse price of P30.36 per kilo for red onions, inventories are projected to last until February 19 for red onions and March 15 for yellow," they added.

The department said that based on their data, there is no oversupply of imported onions in the country. Data from National Plant Quarantine Services Division show that about 8,000 MT of red onions are covered by sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances valid until February 15 and must arrive before local harvest peaks up. The Bureau of Plant Industry says that even if all remaining shipments arrive within the month, imported red onion stocks would likely last only until March 6, "just as harvest starts to peak."

Estimated local production from onion-producing municipalities shows that red onion production from January to March is at just 9,325.14 MT—roughly 18 percent of the 52,034.4 MT. On the other hand, supply for yellow onion which is used for commercial purposes is quite low, projected at only 1,645.25 MT for the quarter. “The numbers show that current stocks from imports are not overwhelming the market but merely plugging a supply gap,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said. “That said, we are taking a closer look at why onion prices are falling at this time of the year, as claimed by farmers.” he added.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com