The Asian Voice
What happened to the onion industry road map? asks Inquirer contributor
The writer says the various road maps developed by the Philippine authorities will not have a use unless they are implemented
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Customers shop for onions at a market in Manila on Jan 19, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
Dr Rex L. Navarro
MANILA – In recent weeks, the skyrocketing prices of onions have been hogging the news and have remained high.
Explaining the issue, the Department of Agriculture (DA) says there are many layers of traders pushing up the prices of local onions. Senators investigating the surge in onion prices blame a cartel that controls the supply.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said that he will meet all stakeholders in the onion industry to discuss the issue of high onion prices.
On this, former DA undersecretary Fermin Adriano says that “there are structural, institutional and cultural reasons why there is a substantial difference between farmgate and retail prices”.
As a stopgap measure, the DA approved the import of 21,060 tonnes of onions to fill a supply gap and arrest the spike in prices. Along with this, the department also declared that it would enable farmers to sell their produce directly to the market, eliminating the many layers of traders.
Despite these efforts, along with the harvest season and entry of imported onions, retail prices of onions remain high.
Unknown to many, there is an Onion Industry Roadmap (2021 to 2025), which is part of the high-value crops sub-sector road map developed by the DA. The road map outlines how the Philippines can address three major challenges: achieving self-sufficiency in the commodity while lifting farmers from poverty; the advent of the Asean Economic Community (AEC); and adapting to climate change.
The road map envisions “a modern, competitive, and profitable onion industry providing high-quality, safe, affordable, and sustainable supply of onions to meet increasing domestic and export demand” and a mission to “ensure the production of and access to high-quality, safe, and affordable onions throughout the year”.
To pursue these, the road map aims to: (1) increase production of yellow onions and shallots by 10 per cent per year; (2) ensure food safety and enhance off-season production, seed systems, and storage facilities; (3) improve post-production and logistics facilities, strengthen marketing linkage and support services, and minimise production cost and post-harvest losses; (4) strengthen analytical service laboratories, enhance pest and disease forecasting capability; (5) develop improved varieties, crop protection systems, and decision-support tools, and improve processing and value adding systems; and (6) organise the production sector and protect onion growers from losses due to disasters, pests, diseases and climate impacts.
According to the road map, for the Philippines to achieve onion self-sufficiency, it needs to increase production from 229,539 tonnes to 279,270 tonnes in five years by increasing the area planted and yields.
It will require promoting improved technology through the judicious use of inputs and farm mechanisation, and shifting to bigger and higher-yielding varieties through farm clustering. Growers will be encouraged to expand their cropped areas, supplemented with new areas, especially those with a different harvest period to support year-round supply. Likewise, irrigation facilities will be expanded to help increase potential areas for onion farming.
The road map targets the strengthening and federation of small-producer organisations for group procurement, marketing and efficient delivery of support services.
Trading activities will be streamlined by eliminating unnecessary layers for exports and minimising marketing costs. To implement these, the road map identifies strategic investments in: (1) capacitating producers and their organisations; (2) production support services such as seed support systems, machinery and equipment; irrigation, rain shelters and input subsidies; (3) post-harvest support (for example, hangars and cold storage); (4) common infrastructure; and (5) strengthening regulatory services and research and development.
The Philippines’ agriculture is not wanting in road maps. In fact, the onion road map is one of 19 road maps developed by the DA, involving teams of experts from the industry and academia. A rice industry road map has also been mapped out, and on a macro scale, there is the National Agriculture and Fishery Modernisation and Industrialisation Plan.
Unless implemented, these plans will just lie there and die there. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
The writer is a member of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernisation in the Philippines. The Philippine Daily Inquirer is a member of The Straits Times’ media partner Asia News Network, an alliance of 22 news media titles.
