MANILA — One of the country’s main onion-producing provinces, Occidental Mindoro, has started its red onion harvest season, but farmers are unhappy about the low farmgate price.
Onion farmers protested in the middle of their fields in the town of San Jose to raise awareness of their issues.
From the present buying price of about P38 to P40 supplied by dealers, they are calling for the farmgate price to be raised to P50 per kilogram.
Bantay Oksi president and onion farmer Gemma Tabian stated, “Para makuha namin ang inaasahan namin na kita dapat po talaga tumaas pa sana sa P50 ang naging presyon ng sibuyas namin.”
Farmers attribute the drop in farmgate prices to the importation of onions.
Tabian voiced suspicions despite Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel’s earlier statement that imported onions are almost completely exhausted and that no new imports have been brought in.
Tabian claims that farmers may become significantly indebted once more if farmgate prices keep falling because they might not be able to recover their capital, a large portion of which was loaned.
The Department of Agriculture is being urged by the farmers to visit the area and evaluate the real state of onion producers.
The protesters pointed to oversupply and the continued arrival of imported onions as major factors driving prices down. They claimed that imported produce is flooding local markets just as Mindoro’s harvest season peaks, undercutting locally grown onions.
Farmer organizations also criticized the lack of adequate cold storage facilities, forcing them to sell their produce immediately at low prices to avoid spoilage.
The farmers are urging the Department of Agriculture to immediately intervene by regulating imports, expanding storage support, and enforcing a suggested retail price system that ensures fair compensation for producers.
They also called on the government to strengthen direct market links between farmers and consumers to reduce dependence on middlemen, whom they accuse of reaping the bulk of the profits.
In response, the Department of Agriculture said it is monitoring onion prices and assessing measures to stabilize the market. Officials noted that they are studying the possibility of purchasing onions directly from farmers for distribution to institutional buyers and food assistance programs.
Farmer groups warned that if the problem is not resolved, there may be less onion produced in the upcoming planting seasons, which might lead to shortages and price increases like to those seen in previous years.
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