By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The plight of onion farmers in Nueva Ecija and Mindoro has reached a boiling point, with many on the brink of bankruptcy due to the influx of cheap imported onions.
Prices have plummeted from P120-P150 per kilo in January to a paltry P30-P40 in February, leaving farmers struggling to make ends meet. “We’ve lost our investments, we’ve lost our income,” said Reynaldo Galvez, a frustrated farmer from Nueva Ecija.
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan is sounding the alarm, calling on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to investigate alleged collusion among traders and the timing of onion imports, which he says are coinciding with the harvest season.
“We need to protect our farmers,” Pangilinan said, advocating for stricter regulations on imports to prevent the flooding of local markets. But is the government doing enough to address the crisis?
Farmers are pleading for immediate financial assistance and marketing support to help them recover from the losses.
“We need help, not just promises,” Galvez said, echoing the sentiments of many in the industry. The DA has promised to work with other agencies to address the issue, but farmers are skeptical, wanting concrete action.
The situation remains uncertain, with farmers anxiously waiting for government intervention. Meanwhile, consumers are enjoying lower onion prices, but the farmers are suffering.
As the saying goes, “you reap what you sow” – but in this case, it’s the farmers who are reaping the bitter harvest.
ia/xf
