Central Luzon, PHL onion grower recovers after armyworm infestation
DA Region 3 Officer in Charge-Director, Roy M. Abaya, said Central Luzon has recovered from the devastation caused by the armyworm infestation last year. This allowed the harvestable area to expand to 11,000 hectares this year.
“Production this cropping season is much better, much bigger compared to last year. Last year’s output was greatly slashed by an armyworm infestation, which affected 5,000 hectares,” Abaya told the BusinessMirror.
“So, now only less than 500 hectares planted with onions are affected by armyworms. The DA expects the harvestable area to reach 11,000 hectares, with yield averaging 12 to 14 metric tons (MT) per hectare,” he added.
Based on the BusinessMirror’s computation, onions in Central Luzon could reach 132,000 MT this year, higher than the 59,817 MT recorded last year.
source: businessmirror.com.ph
