President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered a stakeholders' meeting next week after discovering that imported onions are sold up to P200 per kilo.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil said Marcos will be presiding over the meeting on the reported high prices as imported onions started arriving in the country.
"The President has ordered a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday with importers, traders, retailers and farmers to discuss the price since DA (Department of Agriculture) price monitoring team saw imported onions being sold at Php 180 - 200 per kg.," Garafil said on Thursday, Jan. 26.
The first batch of the more than 21,000 metric tons of imported onions has arrived in the country, according to the Bureau of Plant Industry on Tuesday.
More imported onions are expected to be available in markets this week.
Marcos has approved the importation of the vegetable in a bid to address the supply gap and surging prices of onions in the country.
The President, who is also the Agriculture chief, said he intends to launch a program to assist farmers to increase their yield to stabilize the supply and price of onions by increasing the areas for onion planting.
He also pitched the need for more cold chain facilities to maintain and preserve the agricultural product.