PRODUCTION of red and yellow onions for 2009 could be below the usual 4 million metric tons (MMT) produced annually by the industry, as farmers have to contend with higher fertilizer costs and changing weather patterns.

Onion farmers and traders belonging to the Sibuyas ng Pilipinas ay Alagaan (Sipag) Foundation Inc. said production could still be below 3 MMT next year, especially if rains will fall on onion-producing areas during December and the early part of 2009.

“Apart from the changing weather patterns, what’s also problematic for farmers is the spike in fertilizer costs. Rainfall during the last part of December 2007 and the early part of 2008 caused production for this year to go down by almost half,” said a Nueva Ecija farmer beloging to Sipag.

For 2008, the local onion industry was only able to produce 2.2 MMT of red and yellow onions, or almost 50 percent lower than the usual 4 MMT.

High fertilizer costs are also not helping farmers who had to contend with losses this year due to the destruction of their crops caused by the changing patterns.

Sipag noted that farmers are now in the middle of the planting season for onions and that seeds are usually sown during the last quarter of the years as onions need to be grown in a cooler climate. Onion seeds, however, are sensitive to moisture and they could be damaged by rains.

“There’s nothing we can do, but hope that the rains would not fall when they are not expected,” said a Sipag trader.

The usual peak harvest season for onions is from April to May while the lean season is from June to December.

Should onion production settle at less than 4 MMT in 2009, the Philippines would have to import the shortfall from India and China.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) denied reports that it stopped issuing onion plant quarantine clearance or import permits.

BPI director Joel Rudinas said that onion import permits are issued to eligible importer applicants since June 13 this year and that it never stopped issuing the clearances.

The BPI also denied reports that the permits are issued to select groups. Rudinas said the BPI only issues permits to “accredited importers in good standing.”

“The BPI is continuously monitoring the onion supply and demand situation to better protect the interest of the consumers and farmers,” he said.

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