Philippines: The Plant Industry Bureau denies smuggled onions flooding Cagayan de Oro

Published Feb 24, 2024

Tridge summary

The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has refuted claims of smuggled onions from Holland flooding markets in Cagayan de Oro, stating that most supplies are sourced from Luzon. BPI Region X Manager Arnold dela Cruz Jr. confirmed that investigations and market monitoring by the Department of Agriculture found no evidence of widespread onion smuggling. The BPI reported that in January, 307.1 metric tons of local red onions and 17.6 metric tons of imported white onions arrived at the seaports and airport of Cagayan de Oro City. The Bureau is collaborating with the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Customs to monitor and verify if smuggled onions are reaching the city.

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Original content

The Bureau of Plant Industry on Saturday denied allegations that smuggled onions from Holland were flooding markets in Cagayan de Oro and stressed that nearly all available supplies came from Luzon. In a statement, Officer-In-Charge and BPI Region X Manager Arnold dela Cruz Jr. said investigations and market monitoring by various offices of the Department of Agriculture disproved claims that rampant smuggling of onions in Cagayan de Oro had depressed prices. Dela Cruz added that the regional office continuously monitored markets in the area in collaboration with the DA Regional Field Office and Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service. The Plant Industry official also reported that price monitoring on Thursday in various markets in Cagayan de Oro City showed wholesale prices of red onion—both local and imported—were between P50 and P65 a kilo while imported white onions sold for P65 to P70 per kilo. The retail price per kilo of local red onions was between P90 and P170, ...

Source: Gmanetwork