Mindoro onion farmers hit by low prices, floods
STRANDED | Motorists are stranded as floodwaters submerge a section of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. (Photo courtesy of the Oriental Mindoro Public Information Office)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Saturday echoed the appeal of onion farmers of Mindoro provinces who were hit by recent flooding in the area, worsening their present struggles wrought by the low farm-gate prices of their produce.
“[The government must] support our farmers by giving priority to the welfare of farmers over the interest of traders or importers. This is the key to meeting the supply needs of our country,” she said.
Hontiveros made the call as she visited San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro and met with onion growers to discuss their concerns over the looming crisis that is expected to be caused by the government’s continued importation of onion.
The farmers in the two provinces of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro also suffered the worst last week after widespread flooding spawned by the northeast monsoon and the shear line destroyed crops.
Occidental Mindoro province is located in the Mimaropa region, which is one of the three largest onion-producing provinces, along with Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
During their dialogue with Hontiveros, farmers of Mamburao and Bulalacao towns in neighboring Oriental Mindoro province complained of the lack of cold storage facilities for their produce, which supposedly leads to losses in harvest and revenues.
The farmers said the government must make sure that farm-gate prices of onions do not fall below P100 a kilo, in order for them to recoup their capital.
During a recent Senate hearing of the committee on agriculture, San Jose farmers revealed they sold their onion harvest for as low as P8 a kilo, only to learn later that prices of imported bulbs have shot up by as high as P700 a kilo.
Hontiveros urged the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry to develop new cold storage facilities in Mindoro, Nueva Ecija, Ilocos, and Pangasinan provinces to decrease farmers’ losses and aid them in obtaining higher prices for their produce.
“This will be a great relief not only for the farmers but also for consumers because this will prevent the increase in the prices of goods,” she said.
Hontiveros said the Philippines may adopt the practice in India where the government provides “concessional financing” so the private sector will build more cold storage facilities.
