LEGARDA PUSHES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY OVER THE ONION PRICE PLUNGE AND IMPORT ISSUES

Senator Loren Legarda has raised urgent concern over the collapse of onion farm gate prices in Nueva Ecija and Occidental Mindoro, which fell from ₱120–₱150 per kilogram in January 2026 to just ₱30–₱40 in February, while retail prices in Metro Manila remained high.

She attributed the crisis to mistimed import arrivals, cold storage saturation, anomalous shipments, and the influence of onion cartels, exposing weaknesses in the supply chain.

On March 11, Legarda filed Senate Resolution No. 344 directing an investigation into the Department of Agriculture, its agencies, and local governments for failures in import calibration, cold storage management, and regulation enforcement.

The resolution calls for immediate import bans, audits of cold storage operators and wholesalers, review of storage capacity, and stricter enforcement against illegal imports, including illicit shipments from China.

Legarda also urged government procurement directly from farmers, the construction of farmer-managed storage facilities, and automatic import bans during peak harvests to prevent predatory pricing and ensure fair competition.

Source: PhilNews24 | March 13, 2026