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DA admits 'shortcoming' amid soaring onion prices

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Saturday admitted shortcomings in its resource mobilization that somehow affected the supply of onions in the market.</p><p>&quot;Inaamin namin, yung may mga probelma din ang Department of Agrculture, may pagkukulang din tayo. Like for example sa supply chain,&quot; Rex Estoperez, spokesperson of the DA, said in an interview on ABS-CBN&#x27;s TeleRadyo.</p><p>&quot;Sabi nga namin, yang pagkukulang is more on the resource mobilization ng DA, how to bring this product sa ating merkado,&quot; he added.</p><p>The official said the prices of onions is due to the supply issue.</p><p>&quot;Actually, meron tayo talagang kulang sa sibuyas, dahil dun sa ating rekomendasyon nga na mag-angkat na yun, iniingatan rin natin dahil nga meron tayong off-season harvest. That&#x27;s according to them. &#x27;December, may darating&#x27;... Masyadong manipis yung dumating... Yung presyo naman is a law of supply and demand... &#x27;Pag mababa ang supply, tataas ang presyo,&quot; said Estoperez.</p><p>He stressed the agency has been consulting stakeholders and that the decision to import onions considered the required volume to help bring the price down.</p><p>Estoperez discouraged finger-pointing, saying everyone instead should help address the problem.</p><p>&quot;May mga pagkukulang din ang Department of Agriculture pero... pagtulungan na lang natin. Huwag na tayo magsisihan kung sino ang may sala,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Even though kami, I will take the blame. Pero mahirap naman, ang mga kausap natin ay sisihin tayo na parang hindi naman natin sila kinonsulta. &#x27;Di naman maganda yun,&quot; he added.</p><p>Prices of onion currently range from P400 to P600, putting additional strain on both consumers and business establishments in the face of an already elevated inflation.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/10/23/philippines-to-import-21060-mt-of-onions-as-prices-soar">Philippines to import 21,060 metric tons of onions as prices soar: DA exec</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/01/12/23/worlds-most-expensive-cartel-behind-onion-price-spike-salceda">&#x27;World&#x27;s most expensive&#x27;: Cartel behind onion price spike - Salceda</a></li></ul><div> </div><p>The DA has recently ordered the importation of 21,060 metric tons of onions in the hopes of arresting the high prices.</p><p>Imported onions will arrive on Jan. 27 — ahead of the expected completion of the local harvest next month.</p><p>Rosendo So, president of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, said the importation doesn&#x27;t guarantee it would pull down the prices of onions, saying traders could temporarily put them in cold storage and delay the sale.</p><p>The local harvest of around 20,000 metric tons until February may do so, however, he said. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/01/14/23/prices-of-red-onion-may-go-down-in-february-group">Prices of red onion in Philippines may go down in February: group</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2418802" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Department of Agriculture on Saturday admitted shortcomings in its resource mobilization that somehow affected the supply of onions in the market.