Onion import ban extended to August

AN onion import ban set to expire this month will be extended to August given more than adequate domestic supply, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.

«As of the moment, we don't need to import onions,» Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said, adding that «we will extend the ban on a monthly basis… for now until August.»

The ban, which Tiu Laurel announced in January to prevent a drop in prices due to a supply glut, was originally scheduled to end in May. Tiu Laurel, who had raised the likelihood of an extension to July, followed through and said imports would be done «only if necessary.»

The DA chief said the situation would be monitored on a day-to-day basis and warned traders against taking advantage of the situation by delaying stock releases.

«If that happens, we will immediately allow importation to stabilize prices,» the agriculture chief said.

As of July 5, the country had 152,839.25 metric tons (MT) of red onions, 10,601.42 MT of yellow onions, and 63 MT of shallots, according to the DA.

The country's onion inventory was said to be enough for eight months or until February 2025.

Price monitoring by the DA showed that as of July 12, red onions were being sold at P80 a kilo while white onions were priced at P60 a kilo.

Prices had risen to around P700 per kilo in late 2022 and early 2023 due to insufficient domestic supply and delayed imports.

This year, the area planted with onion was said to have increased around 40 percent, with the major producing region of Central Luzon accounting for 10,388 hectares.