Here's how Salceda would solve onion problem

The price surge on onions is a big headache for Filipinos, but it's a solvable problem.

Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda made this assertion on Monday, Jan. 23 a few hours after the House Committee on Ways and Means held a inquiry on the state of agricultural smuggling in the Philippines.

“The onion sector is high yielding, it seems, with some 14 tons per hectare in average production. Actually, when irrigated properly, it can produce up to 25 tons per hectare," said Salceda, chairman of the ways and means panel.

“The country’s onion supply deficit is about 22.1 percent of total demand, or about 80,700 tons out of total demand of 363,000 tons. Just produce five more tons per hectare, or plant 5,700 hectares more of onion, and you’re essentially good," the economist-solon noted.

"That’s just a bit over the size of the city of Caloocan...and your entire onion self-sufficiency is addressed.”

Onions have been grabbing headlines as of late after the produce reached unheard of price levels of P700 per kilo.

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Salceda suspects that “farmers were low-balled because their produce rots in three days after harvest, the supply was withheld from the market when the DA decided not to issue any new import clearances. And then the smugglers now both control importing as well as prices.”

“The price is very artificial. The domestic retail price of onions domestically is 17 times the cheapest price in Bangladesh and 4.5 times the world average," he said.

“Just give farmers cold storage so they don’t have to sell to cartellists, keep imports flowing in limited numbers that can undercut price bubbles, and you will see those prices fall very quickly," the Bicolano added.