The Philippines will import approximately 4,000 metric tons of red and yellow onions due to declining stocks, as reported by the Department of Agriculture (DA). Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stated that the agency plans to approve these imports to address the expected domestic supply shortfall for this month. "Maybe 3,000 MT of red onions and 1,000 MT of white onions," Laurel said.
According to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), as of January 24, the red onion inventory was 7,281 MT, while yellow onion stocks were nearly 800 MT. The BPI anticipated that red onion stocks would last only until this week, with yellow onion supplies depleted since January 29, based on daily consumption rates. Nevertheless, the agency expects onion harvests to replenish inventories by the end of February.
The BPI projected that the red onion harvest until February 28 would reach 17,200 MT, excluding stocks in cold storage. These additional stocks are expected to last for 41 days or until March 7. For yellow onions, production by the end of February is expected to be 7,765 MT. The Philippines imported 1,830 MT of yellow onions, with additional supplies estimated to last for 71 days or until April 5.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa noted that some farmers began harvesting onions in early January. "Some farmers have already started to harvest this January. The peak harvest season for onions is January to March," De Mesa stated. Retail prices of red onions ranged from $1.94 to $3.53 per kilo, while local white onions ranged from $1.41 to $2.47 per kilo, and imported white onions stood at $1.41 to $2.82 per kilo.
Source: Business Mirror