Lower onion prices are anticipated in the coming weeks with the arrival of approved imports of red and white onions, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday.
This development aims to address the current supply gap while preventing a repeat of last year’s price surge, which saw onions retailing at an all-time high of PHP720 per kilogram.
According to Agriculture spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, the prices of onions have already started to decrease. “End ng February, at least nakita natin na hindi na (we are seeing that) from PHP240 last week, ngayon, ang prevailing PHP200. And we’re expecting bababa pa ito kapag pumasok na sa palengke, itong (the prevailing is PHP200. And we’re expecting that the price will further drop once the imports enter the market, these) yellow and red onions,” he stated.
As of February 14, the prices of local red onions in Metro Manila range from PHP150 to PHP230 per kilogram, while local white onions are priced between PHP100 and PHP140 per kilogram. Imported white onions are currently being sold at PHP100 to PHP150 per kilogram, according to the DA’s Bantay Presyo (price watch) monitoring.
To help stabilize the market, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has approved the importation of 4,000 metric tons (MT) of red and white onions, with 3,236 MT expected to arrive in February. However, this volume is still below the reported deficit of 7,000 MT for the month.
Of the anticipated supply, 2,222 MT of red onions are expected to arrive, supported by 44 issued sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSIC), while 1,014 MT of white onions are scheduled for delivery under 20 approved SPSICs. As of February 13, 52 MT of imported white onions have already reached the Philippine market.
The DA emphasized that the importation is a tactical measure designed to cover supply shortages before the peak harvest season of local onions, which is expected from late March to April. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. clarified that this move is intended to prevent another price crisis similar to last year’s and that the importation will be limited in both time and volume to minimize impact on local farmers.
“This will help to slightly tame the prices. But at the same time, it will neither affect nor dump the prices of locally-produced onions,” De Mesa assured, emphasizing that the imports are meant to complement local supply without disrupting market stability.
The DA expects that with the additional supply entering the market, consumers can expect more affordable onion prices in the coming weeks.
