White onions, which sold for up to P700 a kilo in December 2022, are now selling for only P17 a kilo in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, a farmer said Monday.

• The Onion Story

"Bagsak presyo ang white sibuyas na pumapalo ng 17 pesos per kilo pero wala pa po bumibili. Marami pang stock na imported kaya di nabibili ang local sibuyas," Dan Alfaro, chairman of the Bongabon East Farmers & Fisheries Service Cooperative, said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

Asked what happens if the onions are not sold, he said: "Sa basurahan ang tuloy kung hindi mabibibili ang mga sibuyas."

He warned: "Baka in 3 or 5 years' time, wala nang magtatanim ng sibuyas."

Farmgate price of white onion should be P50 a kilo while red onions are slightly more expensive, he said.

Aside from importation, farmers also face other challenges such as rising fertilizer prices and an infestation of armyworms in the province.