N. Ecija onion farmers brave El Niño

CABANATUAN CITY—Onion growers in Nueva Ecija province braved the onset of El Niño and planted fresh crops to recoup losses in 2015 when typhoons wiped out their farms.

But it would be an uphill battle for farmers because onions do not thrive well under a prolonged dry spell, said Gregorio Quiñones, provincial coordinator for the Nueva Ecija government’s high-value crops program.

Quiñones said 4,000 hectares in onion-growing areas in Nueva Ecija, mostly in  Bongabon town, have been planted. Before February ends, the areas may double when other farmers follow the lead of the onion growers, he said.

“It is amazing that [onion growers] are still [investing their time and effort in] a late crop planting of onions. However, this is understandable because their crops were wiped out in November and December due to the onslaught of Typhoons ‘Lando’ and ‘Nona,’” Quiñones said.

Cool weather

“The ideal month for growing [onions] is December because it needs a few weeks of cool weather for the robust growth and development of bulbs that are ideal for the market.”

In hot weather condition, he said, onion bulbs may be smaller and may suffer some deformities.

There is also danger of a sudden downpour in March and April which can destroy the maturing bulbs, he added.

In 2013, Central Luzon produced 74,000 metric tons, which represented 55 percent of the 134,000 MT of onions harvested in the country, according to a study of the Luzon cluster of the Philippine Rural Development Project, a flagship program of the Department of Agriculture.

Onion harvest

Of this number, Nueva Ecija produced 99.9 percent (73,854.24 MT) from 8,161 ha of onion farms.

In Bongabon alone, yellow granex and red creole varieties were grown on 3,000 ha in 2013. The town produced 39,000 MT of onions.

The study said the average Nueva Ecija onion grower spent P93,725 a hectare for red creole and P75,525 for yellow granex. An additional P65,117 was spent for labor and materials.

The same study also said farmers earned P40,883 a hectare for growing the red creole variety and P74,655 for yellow granex onions.

“Let’s just pray that nothing bad will take place on this late planting of onions in the province. Otherwise, it will be another big disaster for our onion growers,” Quiñones said.