Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Monday directed the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to conduct an urgent inspection of onion cold storage facilities across the country.
Tiu Laurel said in a statement that despite expectations of fresh onion harvests helping ease market prices this month, the newly harvested onions may not be reaching the market. “Onions are typically stored toward the middle or end of the harvest season, not at the start. This clearly points to price manipulation—it’s hoarding,” he said, emphasizing that withholding supplies from the market is illegal.
The DA inspection, set to be completed within four to seven days, is expected to uncover whether onions are being deliberately kept in storage instead of being sold, a practice that violates trade laws. This follows concerns that such practices may be helping inflate prices, which remain unreasonably high despite the agency’s approval of 4,000 metric tons of imported onions to address the anticipated shortage.
Currently, red onions are priced between P140 and P240 per kg, while white onions range from P130 to P150 per kg. These prices are significantly higher than a month ago, when red onions were priced at P140 per kg, highlighting an alarming upward trend.
The DA’s efforts to investigate hoarding come after a similar situation in 2022, when onion prices spiked to P700 per kg due to a supply shortage worsened by delayed imports. While the current harvest is projected to bring in about 33,000 metric tons of onions by March, prices continue to be a burden on consumers. The DA had hoped that the early harvest and imports would prevent another crisis, but the current situation reflects that challenges remain in stabilizing prices for the public.
The DA’s crackdown on hoarding and price manipulation will be key in ensuring fair pricing for consumers who continue to struggle with the cost of essential goods.
