The country’s onion supply is being hit by the double whammy of smuggling and hoarding.
In an interview with Agriculture deputy spokesperson Rex Estoperez with The Chiefs, he warned unscrupulous traders hoarding the commodity and said that the government is cracking down on the movements of each shipment.
“Yes. Meron pa sila sa mga bodega nila ‘no? ‘Yung ating, ‘yun nga lang eh mag-inspect tayo, dun sa mga dati pong mga cold storage mukhang wala na dun. So mukhang nililipat. Ang tingin natin dito, eh naghihintay, kasi ang sabi nila, unti-unti nilang ilalabas, pero nagsasamantala naman sila sa presyo. ‘Yun ang punto naman nila. So ang sa atin naman, kung may mga local producers na meron pang onions ngayon, ilabas ninyo, para nang sa ganun, we will not decide to import and we will not sell the smuggled onions in the market just to bring down the prices,” he said.
He also addressed the issue of smuggling of white onions.
“Dun sa areas na ‘yung binubuksan pa lang at nakikita na natin na white onions na wala siyang permit, then smuggled ho ‘yun. ‘Yung sa mga bodega na kailangan nang i-raid. Tinitingnan po natin lahat ng bodega ngayon na posibleng pinanggagalingan, because we are tracing from the market kung saan nanggagaling ‘yan and makikita po natin ‘yan. Ang Bureau of Customs also, meron naman silang mga sinusundan na pang-trace po ng onions kung saan po ito nakatago. Pero kung sinasabi natin na raid, ‘pag nakita nating may movement, especially local onions natin, walang problema ‘yan. Pero dun sa white onions na wala tayong permit at nakita natin, ma-trace natin, bakit kay merong white onions, then kailangan nating i-confiscate ‘yan,” he said.
Concepcion also warned those who are purchasing white onions who entered the country without the necessary permits, not to patronize smuggled goods.
As of current projections, prices of onions will normalize around the final week of December.
