Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. announced on Monday that he has instructed the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to inspect all onion warehouses to determine whether newly harvested supplies are being withheld from the market.

Onion harvests were expected to begin this month, which should have provided fresh supplies to ease prices. However, Secretary Tiu Laurel expressed concerns that the harvest might not be reaching the market as expected.

“Last Friday, I directed the Bureau of Plant Industry and its team to visit all the onion cold storage facilities across the country and inspect whether newly harvested onions are being kept there instead of being sold,” the DA chief explained.

“If they are, that’s wrong. Onions are typically stored toward the middle or end of the harvest season, not at the start. This clearly points to price manipulation—it’s hoarding,” he added.

Hoarding and price manipulation are illegal trade practices punishable by law.

Secretary Tiu Laurel estimated that the BPI would complete its inspection within four to seven days, with a report expected by the end of the week.

Earlier this month, the agriculture chief authorized the importation of 3,000 metric tons of red onions and 1,000 metric tons of white onions to address the projected shortage before the harvest season. Despite this, onion prices remain high, with the latest DA monitoring showing red onions priced between P140 and P240 per kilo, while white onions range from P130 to P150 per kilo. A month ago, the quoted prevailing price for red onions was at P140 per kilo, lower than the current P200 per kilo.

BPI had earlier projected that the early harvest would add several metric tons to supply, with an expected total of around 33,000 metric tons by March. ###(Photo by DA-AFID)