The Department of Agriculture (DA) - Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on Wednesday ordered importers to explain the reason behind the “slower” importation of red onions compared to yellow ones, as the country approaches the peak holiday season.
The order follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to secure a sufficient food supply and avoid shortages similar to previous years, which triggered sharp increases in retail prices.
As of Tuesday, the highest retail prices of imported medium-sized red onions in Metro Manila already hit PHP320 per kg. and PHP330 per kg. for local red onions, according to the DA-Bantay Presyo (price watch).
The landed cost of imported onions from China, however, is only about PHP60 per kg., the DA said.
“We want to know the status of those import permits – if they plan to use them,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.
Otherwise, he said, the BPI may grant the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSIC) to other importers, including the Food Terminal, Inc., to meet the holiday demands in December.
“If not, we will cancel the permits and award them to other importers to ensure sufficient domestic supply, especially at this time of year,” Tiu Laurel added.
Earlier, the DA issued permits allowing the importation of 69,040 metric tons (MT) of red onions and 42,261 MT of yellow onions, with 1,202 SPSICs for red onions and 751 for yellow onions.
As of Nov. 20, the import arrivals of imported red onions show a lag, with only 192 SPSICs consumed since September, equivalent to 12,824 MT of red onions.
This is relatively lower than the 443 permits used for white onions, translating to 21,145 MT import arrivals from August to November.
To date, the monthly consumption demand stands at 17,000 MT for red onions and 4,000 MT for yellow onions. (PNA)