Department of Agriculture plans to issue onion import permits

MANILA, Philippines - The government may have to issue import permits to bring in white onions to augment local production.

“We may have to issue a few (import) permits for white or yellow onions just to augment production until we are able to harvest from off-season planting in case supply will not be sufficient,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told reporters in a chance interview.

He said that based on reports to the department, the supply of red onions seems to be sufficient but there appears to be a need to plant off-season for white onions.

He said the department is already identifying areas where white onions can be planted off-season.

He said though that while planting white onions off-season would help augment local supply, it would all depend on the willingness of farmers to plant.

The department, he said, would be willing to offer some incentives to farmers who would be planting white onions off-season.

The import permits, he also said, would not be issued without prior consultations with onion growers.

Bureau of Plant Industry director Clarito Barron said in a telephone interview yesterday that as of May 23, the country’s inventory of red onions is at almost 50,000 metric tons (MT), which would be sufficient to meet demand for 100 days.

The inventory of white or yellow onions meanwhile, stands at 1,870 MT as of May 23.

“The inventory (for white or yellow) is just good for 19 days that is why the department is encouraging planting off-season,” he said.

Francisco Collado, president of Sibuyas ng Pilipinas Ating Alagaan, Inc. said last week local supply of red onions is enough to meet demand and that import permits for such need not be issued.

He said though that onion growers are hurting from the smuggling of onions into the country, with a total of 15 to 20 40-foot containers each with 2,500 tons of red and white onions illegally entering the ports of entry per week.

He said the onion growers would want the Bureau of Customs to conduct inspections of onion warehouses as the agriculture department has not been issuing import permits for red onion for two years, while permits to ship white onions have not been released for six months, yet imported onions are being sold in the market.

Alcala said the recommendation to inspect warehouses would be one of the things he would bring up when he meets with Customs commissioner Rufino Biazon.