Marcos Approves Over 21,000 MT Onion Importation

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has approved the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of onions as the country still faces high onion prices, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

This comes as DA deputy spokesperson Rex Estoperez presented the details of the importation plan, which was contained in a letter dated January 6 and signed by DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, in a briefing yesterday.

Marcos, who is also the DA secretary, was fully aware of the importation plan, according to Estoperez.

The imported volume will be for 3,960 MT of fresh yellow onion and the remaining 17,100 MT of fresh red onion.

According to Estoperez, the 21,060 MT of imported onions must arrive before January 27, to not be redundant with the peak of harvest starting mid-February.

He added that the agreed volume was based on local demand, and while it’s slightly lower than the originally proposed 22,000 MT, half will still be allocated for Luzon while Visayas and Mindanao will each get 25 percent.

Moreover, the DA will accept sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance applications until Friday.

Manila-South Harbor, Subic, Cebu, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro ports are designated as the ports of entry and are subject to strict monitoring.

The prices of the imported onions must be substantially lower than the suggested retail price set by the government of P250 per kg, however, the exact price cap has not been announced.

Moreover, the President is also pushing to release seized smuggled onions into the market as long as they pass phytosanitary inspections, raising concerns as some of the confiscated onions were previously found to not be fit for human consumption.

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III has criticized the decision to import onions at this time, saying that the decision to import is already too late as the peak season had already passed, with the hoarders gaining almost all profit from the Christmas season.

Pimentel added that importing onions at this time will only have an adverse effect on the local farmers’ income.

Senator Imee Marcos also echoed Pimentel’s concern regarding the timing of the decision to import, saying that the volume of imported onions might arrive during the peak harvest season, resulting in a huge price drop that will negatively affect local farmers. (GFB)