The Department of Agriculture (DA) will buy onions from farmers in Occidental Mindoro to prevent farmgate prices from collapsing during the peak harvest from March to April.
State-run Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) will purchase the onions and store them in cold storage facilities to absorb excess supply. FTI officials recently inspected the WBI Cold Storage facility in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, which can hold up to 380,000 bags and is set to begin operations on March 10.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the move aims to reduce the influence of middlemen and help farmers secure better prices.
FTI has already started buying onions in Nueva Ecija, where it procured 10,000 bags and plans to purchase about 3,000 bags daily starting March 6.
Officials are also pushing for trader registration and clearer trading rules in Occidental Mindoro to promote transparency and protect farmers from sharp price swings during the harvest season.
