Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said Monday he plans to extend the ban on the importation of onion in view of the bumper harvest of the crop by local producers.
In January, the DA chief suspended the importation of onion until May to prevent a supply glut that would depress prices in anticipation of a strong harvest following the farmers decision to increase areas planted to onion by 40 percent to 10,217 hectares more or less. He said the import ban may be extended depending on the local supply situation and as long as the price remains stable.
“We will extend the ban on onion importation maybe until July or longer. Cold storages in onion producing areas are full, and prices are stable. So, there is no reason to import,” said Sec. Tiu Laurel.
He said price monitoring at the Balintawak market, for example, show the price of red onion at P70 per kilo and P60 a kilo for white onion.
“When I joined the DA in November, price was from P110 up to P120 a kilo,” he added.
