Coop eyes revival of onion exports to Japan

Local onion stakeholders are planning to revive exports to Japan, members of the National Onion Growers Cooperative Marketing Association said at the weekend. The onion group said it was planning to revitalize existing nurseries to increase yearly output so its members can resume exports initially to Japan, to Singapore in the medium term and to the US in the long term. “We have studied and continued monitoring both the domestic and regional dynamics in onion production. We are seriously considering bringing our onions to markets abroad where we have previous trade ties," cooperative Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dulce Gozon. The country produces an average of 100,000 metric tons of onions worth P5 billion. The group plans to double production so the country doesn’t have to import as much as 10,000 MT of onions a month. Some members of the cooperative were recently sent to Japan, Taiwan, and the US to learn globally competitive techniques on onion production. The cooperative has 206 members in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, where most of the area is planted with onions. Aside from producing red creole and yellow granex, members of the cooperative have also learned to intercrop. Onion, a seasonal crop, is intercropped with rice and corn. The cooperative’s members have also diversified into pepper, cucumber, shallots and indigenous vegetables. Onion exports to Japan have increased in the last 25 years, reaching as much as 2,000 tons, before it was stopped due to stiff competition from China. The government has provided a financial grant to help set up new nurseries and improve marketing and branding. The onion cooperative is one of the oldest in the country. — NPA, GMANews.TV