SORTING TIME | In this photo taken in January 2023, freshly harvested onions are classified and sorted by farmers in Bayambang, Pangasinan, before these are bagged and taken to local markets and warehouses. (Photo by WILLIE LOMIBAO / Inquirer Northern Luzon)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Agriculture (DA) has deferred the implementation of the suggested retail price (SRP) for onions amid questions on the basis for the market price cap aimed at bringing down skyrocketing prices.
鈥淔or now, we will not announce an SRP for onions,鈥� said Assistant Agriculture Secretary Rex Estoperez.
He said Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban on Monday ordered the deferral because of questions on the cost structure that served as the basis for SRP.
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura criticized Panganiban鈥檚 order as 鈥渦nfortunate and pathetic.鈥�
鈥淲e find it strange and unfortunate for the DA to postpone the SRP,鈥� said the lobby group鈥檚 executive director Jayson Cainglet. 鈥淯nless the real objective of those that refuse to sign the SRP is to keep retail prices of onions high.鈥�
鈥淯nless there are other schemes available鈥� the SRP is our best bet, and it鈥檚 working, in fact鈥� for the past four days,鈥� he added.
As of Wednesday, the DA鈥檚 price monitoring showed local red and white onions being sold from P100 to P200 per kilogram, much higher than P80 per kg last year. Imported onions are currently unavailable in Metro Manila.
Had the DA issued the order, the SRP would have been at P150 per kg for red onions and P140 per kg for white onions, but the DA would also have to deal with the price impact on farmers.
Eric Alvarez, an official of a producers鈥� cooperative in Nueva Ecija, supported Panganiban鈥檚 decision to defer the issuance of an SRP.
鈥淎 lot has already been added to our expenses,鈥� Alvarez said in Filipino. 鈥淗ere in Nueva Ecija, most of the onions in storage facilities are owned by small farmers鈥� Not all onions in storage are owned by traders.鈥�
Estoperez also noted the difficulty of enforcing an SRP when farmers have already invested in farm inputs.