00:00 The price of onions is being lowered in some provinces.
00:08 The price of onions in Pangasinan is only 10 pesos per kilo.
00:12 This is Bernadette Reyes.
00:14 Ms. Elsa bought an onion supply of one pound
00:21 when she saw that it was being sold for 100 pesos per kilo in Divisoria, Manila.
00:26 It is cheaper than other families.
00:29 How much is it?
00:31 It's a bit expensive. 150, 160, 175.
00:34 It depends. It's only 100.
00:36 It's only 100.
00:38 It's a big deal for us. It's a budget.
00:41 The monitoring of the Department of Agriculture
00:44 shows that onions can reach up to 170 pesos per kilo.
00:48 According to the data distributed by the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperative,
00:52 there are farmers who sell 200 to 220 pesos per kilo in other places.
00:56 While the imported onions are sold for 80 to 120 pesos.
01:02 Not all people look at the quality.
01:05 They look at the price.
01:07 So, the people who are a bit lower, that's where they will go.
01:12 While the price is high for the families, the price for the farmers is low.
01:17 According to the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperative in Bayambang, Pangasinan,
01:21 the biggest producer of onions in the province is only 10 to 50 pesos per kilo of onions.
01:29 According to the FFF, the import of imported onions should not be below the price of onions.
01:36 If it's below the price of onions, the tendency is really low.
01:43 If you add the onion imports, which will add to the supply,
01:47 the price of onions will drop even more.
01:50 That's what happened.
01:52 In the monitoring of the Samahang Industrial Agricultural or SINAG,
01:56 the price of red onions in Pangasinan is between 60 to 65 pesos per kilo.
02:01 White onions are 20 to 25 pesos per kilo.
02:04 There is no problem in the supply because the price of white onions is starting to drop.
02:09 The price of red onions has already reached the price of red onions in March.
02:13 There is no problem for the farmers in the effect of drought.
02:17 The price of white onions is between 60 to 65 pesos per kilo and 20 to 25 pesos per kilo.
02:24 The GMA Integrated News is trying to get the statement of the DA on this issue, but they have no response.
02:31 The Agriculture Secretary Francisco Chula-Rell Jr. ordered that the import of onions should be postponed until May.
02:39 It can be extended until July.
02:41 The DA can also help by finding a market for the onions planted by local farmers.
02:48 If the Department of Agriculture can help in absorbing the onion harvest,
02:56 and maybe supply it to the local stores,
03:01 the longer term solution here is to have our own cold storage facilities for our farmers.
03:13 For GMA Integrated News, Bernadette Reyes, Nakatutok 24 Hours.
03:19 [Music]
