AT least 21,060 metric tons of onions will be imported to fill the supply gap at stop the continuous increase of the staple in the market, said the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In a letter to Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI)-licensed onion importers dated January 6, the DA said it will issue sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) for the importation of fresh yellow and fresh red onion from January 9 to January 13, 2023.
Licensed importers are given until January 27, 2023 for their shipments to arrive in the country.
The volume allowed for importation are broken down as follows:
Fresh yellow onion – 3,960 metric tons
Fresh red onion – 17,100 metric tons
One SPSIC of 25 metric tons for yellow onions and two SPSIC for 50 metric tons for red onions will be issued equally to all licensed importers during the issuance period.
Importers who failed to utilize the issued SPSIC will not be eligible to apply for the succeeding issuances of SPSIC for fresh onion.
The importation is aimed “to address the supply gap prior to peak harvest in 2023 and to stabilize the continuous increase in price of fresh onions in the market.”
Late December, the price of red onions jacked up to over P700 per kilo in some Metro Manila markets amid a local supply deficiency of the commodity.
The DA’s price monitoring data as of January 10 showed the price of local red and white onions in Metro Manila markets range from P420 to P600 per kilo.
The ports of entry for the onion shipments shall only be in Port of Manila-South Harbor, Port of Subic, Port of Cebu, Port of Davao, and Port of Cagayan de Oro “for strict monitoring purposes.”
Several onion farmers earlier expressed worry over the looming importation of onion which may coincide with harvest season in February.
In a Super Radyo dzBB interview earlier in the day, DA deputy spokesperson Rex Estoperez said they reduced the proposed 22,000 metric tons to 21,060 metric tons, and requested the imported onions arrive on an earlier date.
“Mga 940 metric tons ang binawas. Saka ‘yung sinabi namin kahapon na basta dumating ‘yan by end of January and not later than the first week of February, mukhang binago din ‘yun. Ginawang, it must arrive on January 27,” he said.
