THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is considering the possible importation of onions to fill the market demand amid the spike of its prices.
DA spokesperson Rex Estoperez, in an interview with GMA News’ Unang Balita on Tuesday, Nov. 29, admitted that there is a problem with the supply of red onions, with only 5,000 metric tons expected to be harvested by next month.
“Maliit kasi ang ating imbentaryo sa pula. Naghihintay tayo sana ng harvest pero ang peak season pa niyan [ay] sa February. Sa ngayon, mga 13,000 [metric tons] ang ine-expect natin by December, pero kokonti pa rin ‘yun,” he said.
DA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Kristine Evangelista earlier said that they found that some sellers have hiked prices to up to P300 per kilogram.
With the holiday season just around the corner, Estoperez said that the DA has to have a consultation by the first or second week of December to address this problem. They should also check the onion inventories in cold storage facilities.
“Ang gagawin namin siguro sa ngayon, titignan namin saan nanggagaling ito. Worst case is that mag-i-import na naman tayo para matugunan ‘yung pangangailangan especially magho-holiday na,” he said.
“Kung kailangan nating mag-import, mag-import tayo,” he added. (GMA Integrated News)
