ILOILO City – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas is expecting 2,220 metric tons (MT) of locally-produced onions to be harvested in April or May this year.
There are around 222 hectares of onion plantations in the region as of Jan. 25. The town of Miag-ao in Iloilo province has the widest planting area at 172 hectares, followed by Oton (15 hectares), Igbaras (10), Tubungan (seven), Alimodian (seven), Negros Occidental (five), Cabatuan (two), Passi City (two), and Antique (two).
These onion plantations are managed by a total of 835 farmers:
* Miag-ao – 720 farmers
* Oton – 25 farmers
* Negros Occidental – 25 farmers
* Igbaras – 20 farmers
* Tubungan – 15 farmers
* Alimodan – 10 farmers
* Antique – 10 farmers
* Cabatuan – five farmers
* Passi City – five farmers
“Ang average nga production sang aton farmers yara sa 10 metric tons per hectare, minimum. So we are expecting 2,220 metric tons nga bombay sa aton harvest season,” said DA-6 information officer James Earl Ogatis in an interview with Panay News.
Ogatis clarified that the total plantation areas in the region may still change due to the current market demand for onions and the increasing number of farmers interested in venturing into onion farming.
To support onion farmers, the DA-6 made interventions such as providing technology, a cold storage facility in Miag-ao, a post-harvest facility, seeds, and training for onion production.
The agency is also set to turn over a hauling truck to onion farmers in Miag-ao.
ONION SUPPLY IN WESTERN VISAYAS
The DA-6 information officer said there is enough supply of onions in the markets, although those are not produced in the region.
According to Ogatis, all 20 metric tons of locally produced onion from Miag-ao have been sold since July 2022, and the onions circulating in markets are sourced from other regions.
“May mabakal man kita sa aton merkado but sa local production ta diri sa Region 6 wala kita sang local production sa sini nga binulan. Kay according sa aton High Value Crops Development Program, last July 2022 pa naubos ang aton nga local production sang onion nga gin-produce sang aton farmers sa banwa sang Miag-ao, Iloilo,” he said.
The DA-6 is attributing the decrease in production in the region to climate change. Onion, Ogatis said, is sensitive to changing weather, and at the same time, farmers do not plant much due to costly farm inputs.
In terms of market prices, based on the weekly monitoring of DA-6, onions are sold at P260 to P350 per kilogram.
He added that prices may be reduced in the coming weeks once the onions imported by the national government reach the region./PN
