Manila: The prices of retail onions are expected to stabilize soon, just in time for the holiday season, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured on Thursday. In a press conference, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said upcoming import arrivals will help address the thinning supply in local markets.

According to Philippines News Agency, the volume of the supply arriving is expected to be sufficient to meet local demand through the end of the year, particularly as the holiday season approaches. De Mesa noted, “Enough ‘yung volume na parating until the end of the year to cover ‘yung requirements natin, especially pagpasok ng holiday season,” indicating that the incoming supply should keep prices between PHP120 to PHP150 per kilogram.

This assurance comes amidst a spike in retail prices of red onions, reaching a maximum of PHP300 per kilogram in the National Capital Region (NCR). As of November 18, the price per kilogram of imported red onions in Metro Manila ranged from PHP220 to PHP300, while local red onions were priced between PHP230 to PHP300, according to the DA-Bantay Presyo (price watch).

Despite these fluctuations, the agriculture official assured that prices would not hit the PHP700 per kilogram mark, as seen previously, due to the ‘timely’ approval of onion imports. The DA has sanctioned the import of 59,594 metric tons (MT) of red onions from 1,045 approved sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) until the end of December.

As of November 13, the DA reported that 11,371 MT of the expected 59,594 MT of imported red onions had arrived. Meanwhile, for imported white or yellow onions, 23,596 MT out of the anticipated 37,819 MT have reached the country. The price per kilogram of imported white onions remains low in local markets, ranging from PHP90 to PHP180.