President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered a stakeholders’ meeting for next week to discuss onions being sold at high prices, Malacañang said on Thursday.
In a press briefing, Palace Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the meeting would include onion importers, traders, retailers and farmers.
“The president has ordered a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday with importers, traders, retailers and farmers to discuss the price since the DA (Department of Agriculture) price monitoring team saw imported onions being sold at P180-200 per kilo,” she said.
Marcos Jr., who is the country’s DA chief, earlier said the government would prioritize onion production.
The DA has deferred the extension of the P250 suggested retail price of onions per kilo as it expects prices to drop to P100 to P150 per kilo after the harvest season and the arrival of the 5,000 metric tons (MT) of imported onions on Tuesday.
The DA approved the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of red and yellow onions to address supply gaps.
Earlier this week, Marcos Jr. raised the need for a better cold chain system in the country to bring down the prices of agricultural products. John Ezekiel J. Hirro