‘Stench’ of smuggled onions now in supermarkets – farmers

Onion farmers smell something foul and they said the stench is coming from onions smuggled into the country. The Samahan ng mga Katipunan ng Magsisibuyas ng Nueva Ecija (KASAMNE) said smuggled onions are now openly sold in supermarkets and groceries, to the detriment of local onion growers. "This has been going on for several years now. We're bothered that even groceries are selling smuggled onions when before this was limited to Divisoria and the wet markets only," said Rodolfo Niones, KASAMNE spokesperson. The group asked the Department of Agriculture (DA) to intervene. Secretary Proceso Alcala has invited the local association of supermarkets to a meeting to address the issue. Meanwhile, a DA official has warned that smuggled onions may bring with them pests that can threaten local production. "These pests will negatively impact on our local onion industry. As much as we need to contend with climate change, the introduction of these pests will slow down production," said Bureau of Plant Industry Director Dr. Lito Baron. This year, the projected onion harvest in the Philippines is 3.2 to 3.5 million bags, down from 6 million bags in 2010. The DA pegged Filipinos’ monthly consumption of onions at 10,000 metric tons. — ELR/VS, GMA News