Red Onions Are Going for P700 Per Kilo Now, But DA Assures Public It's Just 'Off Season'

Onions have been making us cry for months now. We all remember how shocked we were when they were priced at P300 per kilo, considering that it was only at P100 just a few months back. Now, reports have recently surfaced about skyrocketing prices for red onions left and right. Most notably, some markets in Metro Manila were observed to be selling red onions for as much as a whopping P720 per kilo.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) claims that Metro Manila markets are now pricing red onions from P500 to P720, based on its monitoring reports. This is close to seven times more expensive than it was at the same time last year. Higher end red onions at the time were sold for roughly P500.

DA Deputy Spokesman Rex Estoperez explained that the surge in pricing is due to what he calls an "off season" for agricultural products. He did, however, assure the public that onions will be cheaper when January comes, as it will be peak harvest season.

The on-going price hikes have continued to plague the public. This comes after the DA previously said that it would address the issue soon enough. To mitigate the problem, the DA also stopped importing the commodity for the remainder of 2022. The DA said it was working to provide farmers with more assistance in terms of logistics, packaging, and transportation, among others, as well.

The agency had also raised the alarm on "syndicate hoarding" around, where smugglers had been keeping stocks inside warehouses. The Bureau of Customs had earlier uncovered an estimated P20 million worth of smuggled red onions in Misamis Oriental. Earlier, there had been reports of smuggled yellow onions worth an estimated P30 million.

White onions, on the other hand, are now being sold at P600 per kilo. DA representatives have encouraged the public to be "more practical."