Onions make this farmer shed tears of joy

MANILA, Philippines - They say that onions make you cry.

But the tears in the eyes of onion farmer Quirino Francisco of Barangay Vega, Bongagon, Nueva Ecija, are not due to the stinging sensation caused the amino acid sulfoxides that onions emit.

Nor are they caused by a feeling of deep sadness.

Rather, Mang Quirino’s tears are tears of joy.

This month, he expects to harvest up to 28,000 kilos of hybrid red onions and 42,000 kilos of yellow hybrid onions from his two-hectare farm, ahead of other growers. With prices soaring to P100 per kilo for red and P60 per kilo for yellow varieties, Mang Quirino is sure to earn millions.

As hybrid onions mature earlier than traditional varieties, farmers—who like Mang Quirino planted in November last year—will start harvesting by the end of February onto March and April, taking advantage of the maximum peak prices.

The current bright prospects of onion farmers in Bongabon and other towns in Nueva Ecija are a result of several initiatives implemented by the Department of Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary Proceso J. Alcala.

For one, DA has restricted the entry of imported onions, specifically from China, which have brought down the demand for the local produce.

In December 2010, Alcala stood firm and did not give in to the clamor of traders to issue permit. Had he done so, imported onions would have flooded the markets bringing down the prices of those locally produced, and the livelihood of thousands of farmers depending on the sector.

Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) assistant director and concurrent High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) director Dante Delima applauds Alcala for this move.

“It gave the industry a big push,” he said.

For sometime now, no permits have been issued to the delight of the Union of Onion Growers and Traders (UGAT). UGAT, a federation of 5,000 onion growers, has been vigilant in campaigning against the illegal entry and smuggling of onions.

Aside from this, DA is focusing on the development of participatory production technology and appropriate storage techniques in order to maximize areas in the different regions suitable for onion production and attain sufficiency and maximize export potential in the near future.

Dubbed the onion capital of the Philippines, Nueva Ecija provides 57- percent of the country’s total production, with Bongabon being the biggest contributor with 3,000 hectares production area.

The government has been continuously providing interventions—helping close to 2,500 onion growers of Nueva Ecija. As of last year, P15-million worth of hybrid onion seeds and P4.5-million worth of Red Creole and Yellow Granex varieties has been provided to Bongabon farmers. On top of this, DA also awarded a total of P500,000 worth of seeds to onion growers outside of Bongabon.

For 2011, a total of P25 million of HVCDP fund is allotted to the fund programs on spices, including onion.

Soon, a three-story cold storage warehouse will be established in Bongabon to enable the farmers to store their produce nine months after harvest giving them ample time to wait for better prices. 

According to municipal agriculturist Lucy Cena, the facility can hold 70,000 kilos of onions.

“We’re still polishing details but we’re positive that this project, which aims to serve both individual farmers and cooperatives, will push thru,” Cena said.

DA has also committed to provide more assistance to onion farmers—not only in Bongabon and other towns in Nueva Ecija, but in Visayas and Mindanao—to include provision of new production techniques and storage facilities to enable them to produce onions year-round, and thus stabilize supply and prices.

With DA, other agricultural agencies including the Bureau of Agricultural Research, the Bureau of Plant Industry, Agricultural Training Institute, and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization are on top of their game to assure industry development for onion in the soonest possible time.

So why do onions make you cry? Evidently for Mang Quirino, it is because of joy, pure, pure joy. (which cause your eyes to tear up.)