DA cautioned on onion SRP

File photo: The price of onions in public markets reached as high as P700 per kilogram in 2022. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday cautioned the Department of Agriculture (DA) on a plan to impose a suggested retail price (SRP) for onions.

According to Romualdez, DA wanted to adopt an SRP this week at P150 per kg for red onions and P140 for white onions.

“Extreme care should be taken to ensure that in the imposition of the SRP, the interest of stakeholders such as the consumers, the traders, the market vendors, and especially our onion farmers are suitably protected,” Romualdez said in a statement.

READ: DA eyes imposition of SRP for onions

The SRP will protect customers from “unconscionably high prices” during market uptrends.

However, the House Speaker called for an end to onion cartels’ alleged pricing manipulation.

“As the hearings of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food have indicated, dismantling the onion cartel is a key element in ensuring the stable price of this commodity. Unless we destroy this cartel, this problem will haunt us again and again in the future,” he warned.

READ: Romualdez prods authorities to pursue House probe leads on ‘onion cartel’

He added “putting members of this cartel behind bars will send the unmistakable message that the government will not tolerate any unfair trade practices that prey on the hapless consumer and farmers.”

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APL/abc