21,000 tonnes of onions imported to make up for shortages

In the Philippines, in order to compensate for the impending shortage due to increased demand for the Christmas vacations, but also to avoid a phenomenal rise in prices like last year, the Department of Agriculture has announced authorization for the private sector to import fresh onions.

 

The import is authorized for 21,000 tons of onions. BPI (Bureau of Plant Industry) has begun issuing sanitary and phytosanitary import authorizations to traders and importers, who can import up to 17,000 tons of fresh red onions and 4,000 tons of fresh yellow onions from China, India and the Netherlands. 

 

All imported fresh onions must arrive in the country no later than December 31, 2023. That's well before the peak harvest of local produce between March and April 2024.

 

Onions are an essential ingredient in Philippine dishes. Due to various factors, its price had risen 10 times above the usual price between April and December 2022.