Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. on Sunday, Jan. 29, asked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to focus on Mindanao’s progress as the region has a “great potential” to address the country’s shortage in onions and other farm products.
In a statement, the lawmaker stated that his hometown of Surigao del Sur, as well as large portions of Mindanao, “have very rich and fertile lands, as well as good climate, which are greatly conducive to farming and other agri-production activities.”
“With these, I would like to make an urgent appeal to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., who is also the head of the Agriculture department, to likewise give focus on the great potential the Mindanao region can give in terms of our much needed agri-production and food security measures,” he said.
“I strongly believe that given due share on the national government's priority in agriculture and rural development, Mindanao can address the shortage in onion and other farm products,” Momo added.
His statement came days after the second batch of imported onions arrived in the country as government’s “temporary, short-term” solution to bring down the spiraling prices of the agricultural product.
Around 3,000 metric tons (MT) of imported onions have so far arrived in the country of the 21,060 MT approved for importation by the government before the start of the local harvest season in February.
READ: 3,000 MT of imported onions arrive in PH
Momo shared that officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) made a briefing regarding the state of the country's onion industry.
They also “discussed the interventions being done by their department to address current issues affecting the local agriculture industry” during a hearing conducted by the House Committee on Agriculture and Food headed by Quezon 1st District Rep. Mark Enverga.
During the same hearing, Momo called the attention of the DA officials to urge them “to utilize the vast agricultural resources of Mindanao, particularly Surigao Del Sur, to address the shortage in supply of onions, garlic, and other agricultural products.”
In December, onion prices spiked to as high as P450 to P460, a statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) claimed, but social media posts last months showed onions being sold for as much as P800 per kilo.
Current market prices of onions today is around P300 per kilo.
Analysts pointed out that the prices of onions skyrocketed primarily because of these factors: low supply, smuggling and cartels, price manipulation, and global inflation.