Onion prices still high despite gov’t price cap

Prices of red onion in public markets remain high despite the government’s recent imposition of a price cap for this commodity, while Department of Agriculture (DA) officials said they were not keen on levying penalties from violators anytime soon.

Earlier, the DA set the suggested retail price for medium-sized onions at P170 per kilogram. It will take effect for 60 days from its approval, based on the Oct. 7 circular signed by Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.

The majority of public markets in Metro Manila, however, are still selling local red onions for P200 per kg, based on the DA’s price monitoring as of Thursday.

The most expensive red onion is sold in Mega Q-Mart in Quezon City and Marikina Public Market, priced at P240 per kg, higher than the P200 per kg price ceiling.

Vendors in Pritil Market in Manila and Pasig City Mega Market sell locally-produced red onions for P195 per kg and P185 per kg, respectively. In Pamilihang Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, local red onions are priced at P180 per kg.

Only vendors at the New Las Piñas City Public Market complied with the price cap as local red onions in the market retail for P170 per kg.

The average selling price of this commodity is higher than the P140 per kg in the same period a year ago.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said no penalty will be imposed on sellers who do not comply with the prescribed selling price, noting they are selling red onions they procured about a week ago.

“We will send a letter of inquiry to know where they source their onions so that we can be one step ahead. We are providing them with an alternative. We are offering cheaper onions so they will be able to sell it for P170,” Evangelista said.

“In terms of quality, rest assured it will be the same quality as it will come from our farmers in Nueva Ecija,” added Evangelista.

Nueva Ecija is part of Central Luzon, the second largest producer of onion as of second quarter, based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, while MIMAROPA is the largest contributor to local output.

“Traders know there is a domino effect when sales are sluggish and prices are too high,” said Evangelista. “Traders were willing to adjust their prices to shore up sales.”

The Bureau of Plant Industry’s Allium Monitoring Team and the DA-Wide Wide Field Inspectorate team earlier confiscated 47 bags of yellow onions that were illegally traded and sold at the Malabon Central Market and in Divisoria.

The bags, according to the DA, included yellow onion sold at P500 per kg.

“It was confirmed during the monitoring of different cold storages in the past two months that there [are] no available stocks of both local and imported yellow onions. This prompted the DA monitoring teams to conduct more rigid surveillance,” said the DA in a statement.