Gov’t to resume sale of onions to Indonesia

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will soon be able to export onions again to neighboring Indonesia after the latter has eased up on its restrictions on Philippine agricultural products.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the country would make its first export of white and red bulb onions and shallots, a smaller type of onion, to Indonesia after years of imposing restrictive import policies.

Local farmers from Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Mindoro and Iloilo recently met with representative of Indonesian companies to present samples of the export-quality onion and shallots being produced.

“The requirements and protocols set by Indonesia for the export of onion and shallots were discussed and samples were submitted which will be shipped through the Department of Foreign Affairs Philippine Embassy in Jakarta,” Piñol said.

The re-opening of the Indonesian market for Philippine agricultural produce came after the bilateral meeting between the two countries earlier this month.

The Philippines used to export shallots to Indonesia, but this stopped when local production dropped making the country dependent on imports.

The DA has been focused on the revival of the onion industry through the crafting the Philippine Onion Industry Roadmap.

Loan programs were also extended to farmers to allow them to expand their production areas and increase local production to satisfy household requirements.

The DA had to address the problem of bumper harvest which resulted in a drop in the buying price to as low as P10 per kilo from P30 per kilogram.

As the DA projects another bumper harvest next year, it has earmarked loan funds which onion farmers group could access to build their own cold storage facilities.

At least 10 cold storage facilities are lined up for establishment in the onion production areas this year.

Onion production now supplies 70 percent of the country’s total requirements, a volume which is already sufficient for household needs.

For 2020, the DA targets to produce 90 percent of the country’s total requirements and aims to achieve 100 percent self-sufficiency by the end of the Duterte administration.