By Stephanie Sevillano | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday, July 15, said it would extend its import ban on red onions as the supply of local onions remains stable.
“As of the moment, hindi talaga kailangang mag-import ng onions… For now, until August,” Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. said in an ambush interview.
The existing import ban is set to expire by the end of July.
”We’re monitoring everything closely, day-to-day iyan. So I guess, we would be extending on a monthly basis,” he said.
He, however, warned unscrupulous traders who may “potentially” take advantage of the situation.
“Baka mayroon diyang unscrupulous na traders o businessmen na baka mag-tighten na mag-release ng stocks,” Tiu Laurel said.
As of July 5, the country has 152,839.25 metric tons (MT) of red onions, 10,601.42 MT of yellow onions, and 63 MT of shallots, according to the DA.
The country’s onion inventory may last eight months or until February 2025.
”Warning lang, kapag tina-tighten nila iyan mag-i-import tayo, mag-a-allow tayo ng importation para ma-stabilize ang prices,” he added.
The prevailing price of local red onions in Metro Manila is between P80 and P150 per kilogram for red onions and P60 to P130/kg for white onions.