The Marcos regime is sabotaging local onion farmers in its decision to import 4,000 metric tons of red and white onions during harvest season. The Department of Agriculture justifies mass importation by using the pretext of high onion prices in markets to stabilize supply and prevent price manipulation.

“The government’s importation of onions in the middle of harvest is a deliberate act of economic sabotage that will only drive down farmers’ incomes while benefiting a few importers,” Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairman and Makabayan senatorial candidate Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos said.

According to KMP, this will benefit only traders and large importers. For onion farmers, this will only lower the farmgate price of their harvest and worsen their losses. Even now, many of them are rushing to harvest for fear that the buying price will drop once imported onions flood the market.

KMP also belied the DA’s claim of insufficient supply in the country. Using state data, it said that red onion stocks stood at 8,500 metric tons as of mid-January, while white onion supply was at 1,628 metric tons. Last year, it said, local onion harvest reached 264,323 metric tons, the highest since 2019. Thus, supply is not the issue in importation.

“The DA has shown where its loyalties lie—not to with our struggling farmers but to big traders and importers who benefit from these policies. Importing onions at this time will push down farm gate prices, leaving our farmers in deeper debt and losses,” Ka Daning said.

He explained that the onion crisis in 2022 where prices soared to ₱700 per kilo was not a result of production shortage but due to price manipulation by cartels and government ineptitude. But instead of solving hoarding, price manipulation and lack of support for farmers, the DA repeatedly relies on importation, which further cripples local producers.

Farmers also demanded the fulfillment of Ferdinand Marcos’ promise in 2023 to build cold storage facilities for harvested onions. Marcos then touted the ₱3-billion project dubbed ORION (Optimization and Resiliency in the Onion Industry Network) as a supposed solution to farmers’ losses. He claimed building these facilities in Mindoro by 2025.

“We’ve seen this before, importation crashed onion prices and forced farmers to dump their harvest due to oversupply. What happened to Pres. Ferdinand Marcos’ promise to build cold storage facilities for farmers?” KMP asked.

“Farmers are already struggling with ever-rising production costs and the impact of recent typhoons. Instead of importation, the government should focus on strengthening local production by providing post-harvest facilities, cold storage, and direct market access for farmers,” Ramos stated. “We need long-term solutions, not knee-jerk importation policies.”