GOV’T BOOSTS ONION PROCUREMENT TO SUPPORT FARMERS AMID PRICE PRESSURES

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has intensified targeted onion buying to aid local farmers in Occidental Mindoro amid low farmgate prices. Private investors purchased around 6,000 bags at PHP32–PHP35 per kilogram, significantly above the prevailing PHP22 per kg farmgate price. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the initiative aims to stabilize prices without distorting the market, balancing fair earnings for farmers with consumer protection. The Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) is coordinating storage and quality control, drawing on expertise from Nueva Ecija, which has already procured 110,000 bags at PHP40 per kg. These interventions are expected to help prevent supply shocks and support the province’s estimated 3.2 million-bag onion output.