FARMING onions in Davao del Sur is seen to help address the high prices of onions in the region, the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-Davao) said.
DA-Davao regional director Abel James Monteagudo said Thursday, December 1, onion farming in the region would help increase supply and potentially ease the steep prices of onions. At present, Davao Region is not producing onions as majority of the region’s supply is still sourced from Northern Luzon.
“At least makatabang man lang sa ingon nato na nihit. At least naa ta maadtuan, mapalitan (At least it would help with the crisis. We would have somewhere to buy onions). Bahala na dili dagko kaayo, pareha anang imported, pero at least naa ta (It doesn’t matter if it is not as big as the imported onions, at least we have our own),” Monteagudo said during an interview with the media.
He added that they are eyeing an area in the province since it is the most suitable for onion farming because of its consistent dry and sunny weather. However, he did not disclose yet what particular town or city it will be farmed in.
Apart from that, proper storage for the onions also needs to be established since red onions must be stored in a cool and dry place, otherwise, the harvest will most likely get spoiled.
“Nagapangita na gyod mi og pamaagi. Next year unta, mangita na ta og sibuyas (We are really looking for ways. Hopefully we could start doing it next year),” Monteagudo said.
Meanwhile, prices of red onions at a public market in Davao City reached P350 per kilogram and vendors expect an increase in the prices by December.
The lack of imported onions in the market is one of the main factors that caused the steep prices for local onions. The regional director mentioned the country relied heavily on the imported supply.
“Unya gina-control na man karon so all of a sudden ma-feel nato na naa gyod difference (Now that it’s being controlled, we suddenly feel that there really is a difference),” Monteagudo said. ICM