WITH the arrival of imported onions, the prices of red and white onions being sold at Bankerohan Public Market, Davao City are now sold at around P130 to P350 per kilogram (kg), as of February 7, 2023.
Vendors interviewed by SunStar Davao said because of the arrival of imported onions, there is now a surplus.
Local red onions can be purchased for as low as P130 up to P350 per kilogram, depending on their appearance and size while imported red onions now cost P250 to P280 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, white onions are sold at P200 to P250 per kilogram, regardless of whether it is imported or not.
One vendor who requested anonymity said despite having a lot of supply of imported onions, they cannot assure that prices of onions will stabilize.
“Usahay, daot ang mga sibuyas mangabot, dili pa mi dayon magbaba og pinakalit pareho atong normal tungod ana (Sometimes we receive spoiled imported onions, because of that, we cannot just return to normal prices),” the vendor said.
Another Mercado market vendor, who requested the name to be withheld, told SunStar Davao that there is still a need to sell the onions at a higher price because imported onions “will not be sufficient to meet the demands.
“Magtaas siguro gihapon mi, kay para nako ang supply na imported makulangan na siya after two weeks siguro (We’re thinking of still increasing onions’ prices because, for me, the supply of imported onions will only last for two weeks),” vendor said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) led by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., has allowed the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of yellow and red onions amid its skyrocketing prices in the market in an attempt to stabilize the continuous increase of its price and to address supply gap prior to peak harvest in 2023. ICE