(MANILA BULLETIN)

The proliferation of smuggled onion merchants who sell their products dirt cheap online is causing AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee to worry about the status of local online producers. 

According to Lee, smuggled onions are sold online for as low as P25 per kilogram. This has resulted to farm gate prices of the crop to plunge, much to the detriment of the farmers. 

"Hindi po natin masisisi ang ating mga kababayan kung tangkilikin nila ang mga di hamak mas murang produkto na nabibili online, kasama na itong sibuyas. Sa mahal ng mga bilihin, doon sila sa mas makakamura, at madalas ay isinasantabi na lang yung pwedeng health hazard nito,” the rookie solon said in a statement.  

(We can't blame our countrymen if they want to purchase cheaper products online, including onions. The current high prices of goods have pushed people to turn to cheap products, despite possible health hazards.) 

"Sa kabilang banda, kawawa po ang ating mga magsasaka kapag hinayaan lang natin na kumalat o dumami ang mga nagbebenta ng smuggled na sibuyas online dahil ang ending nito, masasayang o mabubulok na naman ang mga lokal na ani," he added. 

(On the other hand, our farmers would even be more pitiful if let online sellers of smuggled onions proliferate. In the end, the local produce would just go to waste.) 

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) earlier noted that onion farmers were already incurring losses with the current P28 per kilo farm gate price, as the production cost now stand at P30 per kilo. 

“Dapat dagdagan ang suporta sa ating mga lokal na magsasaka, kabilang na ang on time na pagdating ng ayuda, access sa mas murang farm inputs tulad ng fertilizers at pesticides, pati na ang dagdag na post-harvest facilities gaya ng cold storages," Lee said. 

ALSO READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/24/house-panel-discovers-lapse-that-caused-failure-to-impose-onion-price-freeze

(We should augment the support that we give to local farmers. This includes on-time delivery of cash aid, access to cheaper farm inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, including additional post-harvest facilities and cold storages.) 

“Kapag tinulungan natin sila sa mas murang production costs, at mas mabilis na access sa merkado at consumers, tataas ang kita ng ating mga local farmers, na mag-e-engganyo rin sa kanilang taasan ang produksyon, na magpapababa naman sa presyo," he added. 

(If we help local farmers attain lower production costs and faster access to the market and consumers, then their profits will go up and they will be encouraged to increase production. This, in turn, will pull down prices.)