PRICED TO MAKE YOU CRY The Inquirer went to Marikina Public Market on Tuesday and confirmed that red onions, like the ones sold at this stall, are being sold at P600 per kilo, as reported by the Department of Agriculture. INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — Placing a suggested retail price (SRP) on onions is just a stop-gap solution, according to the House of Representatives Makabayan bloc, saying what the Marcos administration should do is support local farmers.
Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. France Castro, in a statement on Friday, said that aside from the Department of Agriculture (DA) plan to impose a P250 per kilogram ceiling on red onion prices, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s officials should provide a subsidy to Filipino farmers to help them raise their yield while lowering costs.
“Imposing a suggested retail price (SRP) on onions is at best, a band-aid solution to the exceedingly high prices of onions in the country,” Castro said.
“For the short term, government must extend support and subsidies to Filipino farmers to increase their yield and lower production costs. The administration should also put a stop to smuggling as it is killing our local farmers,” she added.
Castro further stressed that agricultural smuggling has made farming for local farmers harder because lower-priced smuggled products — which do not reflect any tariff — are more appealing to consumers.
The lawmaker said that based on Anakpawis’ compilations of news reports from January 2022 to September 2022, smuggled agricultural products seized by the Bureau of Customs have reached a value of P539 million.
“Based on Anakpawis’ compiled news reports from September to November last year, smuggled vegetables believed to come from China, reached a value of P539 million, almost equivalent to the Bureau of Customs’ report of the value of smuggled agricultural products it seized from January to September this year,” Castro said.
“Anakpawis added that the worsening state of smuggling of vegetables has wreaked havoc to the livelihood of farmers, such as: Benguet farmers losing 20-40% of their orders in 2021 to present, and an estimated value of P2.5 million per day, depressed farm gate price of carrots to P7 per kilo from the usual P95 per kilo, amid its cost is P25 per kilo; in March, Nueva Ecija and Occidental Mindoro farmers threw away their onion harvest due to low farm gate prices at P30 per kilo,” she added.
On Thursday, in an interview aired through his Instagram stories, President Marcos said they are exploring the possibility of releasing smuggled onions to ease the supply problem, which has driven onion prices up to as much as P600 to P700 per kilogram.
READ: Marcos Jr. mulls releasing seized smuggled onions to drive down prices
Castro warned, however, that smugglers might take advantage of the high prices by pumping more smuggled items — so that it could be sold at a higher price.
“But even with this the price of onions continues to soar and smugglers are trying to cash in on this. So for the long term, land should be given to farmers so that the food supplies of our country would be secure and not be dependent on imports,” she said.
“The Marcos administration should heed our advice and decisively act to lower the price of onions and other agricultural products, band aid solutions would simply not do,” she added.
Onions are usually among the most common smuggled items as of late. Last December 23, BOC announced that the majority of the P171 million smuggled agricultural products seized in a recent operation are red and white onions.
READ: BOC: Smuggled onions, other agri goods worth P171.3M seized from one consignee
BOC estimates as of December 24 showed that P253 million worth of smuggled agricultural goods were confiscated in just 42 days.
READ: P253-M smuggled farm goods seized in 42 days