Agri chief defends importation of onions
MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Monday that farmers need not worry about the importation of 4,000 metric tons of onions, as the volume is less than the actual onion deficit in the country.
In a Palace briefing, Laurel was asked to comment on criticisms against importation as it might affect farmers’ profit during harvest season.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I’m here to manage. I am not a farmer. I am not an importer. I am the DA [Department of Agriculture] Secretary and am here to manage the situation,” he responded.
“May deficit talaga for February of 7,000 tons. And actually, in-open up lang natin iyong market for only 4,000 tons—1,000 tons for white; 3,000 tons for red. So, it’s not even enough to fill in the perceived gap or estimated gap, so there’s nothing to worry about,” he explained.
Laurel added that the harvest season for large-scale onion producers in Nueva Ecija is from the third week of March up to April.
“So, if I don’t take any action now regarding this estimated gap and prices in Balintawak continue to rise—red onions have already gone up from 110 to 170—should I wait any longer to make a decision? I have to think of the consumers also, not just the farmers,” he said.
Article continues after this advertisement“But ang ginawa natin is very tactical—limited volume, limited quantity, limited time. So, it should address any spikes. At sana tama iyong aking—ang question nga naman ay gaano karami ang dapat i-import, eh? Question of whether to import or not for February, kailangan talaga.”
Article continues after this advertisement(But what we did was very tactical—limited volume, quantity, and time. This should help address any price spikes. The question is, how much should we import? The decision to import for February was necessary.)
In the same briefing, Laurel said four companies have been charged for the alleged smuggling of agricultural products into the country.
