The Philippines may no longer have to import onion, as the government’s latest assessment indicated that there would be surplus in output this year, according to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).
BPI OIC-Director Dr. Vivencio R. Mamaril told the BusinessMirror that, based on the agency’s assessment, the current onion production is “more than enough” to meet domestic demand.
“We only harvest onion once a year, but this year we will have a bumper harvest. What I can say is that we have not issued any import permits since December 31,” Mamaril said in an interview last week.
“So, if you will ask me as of this moment, I’ll say that we are not going to import onion,” he added.
However, Mamaril said the BPI is set to hold another meeting with onion farmers and traders before June to determine whether the Philippines would need to import later this year.
“During the meeting we assess the farmers’ harvest, we compute their total harvest for the year and compare it with the data we have on the volume of onion consumed by the country. In our previous meeting, there was no shortfall,” Mamaril said.
The country’s onion production in the first quarter of 2017 expanded by 53.71 percent to 129,410 metric tons (MT), from 84,190 MT recorded last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The first quarter production is the largest recorded by Filipino farmers in more than a decade.
“A 53.71-percent expansion in onion production was recorded during the reference period. This was traced to the increases in harvested areas in Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya as a result of seed distribution program of the [government],” the PSA said.
“Higher price, usage of high-yielding varieties and control of root rot caused by thrips contributed to higher production in Ilocos Sur,” it added.
PSA data also showed that the country’s onion output during the January-to-March period has already surpassed the 2016 production of 122,600 MT.
Earlier, Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 3 Officer in Charge-Director Roy M. Abaya said Central Luzon, which accounts for more than half of the country’s total onion output, has recovered from the devastation caused by the armyworm infestation last year. This allowed the harvestable area in the region to expand to 11,000 hectares this year.
“Production this cropping season is much better, much bigger compared to last year. Last year’s output was greatly slashed by armyworm infestation, which affected 5,000 hectares,” Abaya told the BusinessMirror.
“So, now only less than 500 hectares planted with onion are affected by armyworms. The DA expects harvestable area to reach 11,000 hectares, with yield averaging 12 MT to 14 MT per hectare,” he added.
Central Luzon usually accounts for half of the country’s onion production.
The DA allows the private sector to import onions whenever there is a shortfall in local production.
Last year the BPI, an attached agency of the DA, allowed the importation of as much as 16,500 MT of white onions.
As of December 2, government data showed that private traders brought into the country 28,442.75 MT of yellow onions and 23,951.80 MT of red onions.