Onion costs within the nation, which vary from P300 to 700 per kilo, will go right down to as little as P50 per kilo “soon,” Albay Representative Joey Salceda stated Friday.
“I think everything will normalize, we will have a reversion, it will go back to P50 per kilo,” stated Salceda, who chairs the House Committee on Ways and Means, on ANC.
“You can cut all my five fingers if it does not,” he added. “It will go back to P50 soon.”
Without mentioning names, Salceda stated onion provide is being hoarded by a “mafia,” leading to excessive costs of the product.
“Pagpasok dito, the mafia controls the ports. Punta ka diyan sa Subic, 50 containers diyan filled with onion deliveries…so these came in, they deliver little by little,” he stated.
“They initially brought prices down, killed local Filipino farmers and now they control the supply.”
A House inquiry on unabated improve in onion costs has been scheduled on Monday, January 23.
In an announcement, AGRI party-list Representative Wilbert Lee known as for larger collaboration between the federal government and agriculture stakeholders in battling agricultural smuggling.
Lee made the decision after numerous non-public sector stakeholders provided to assist the federal government put a cease to the smuggling of agricultural merchandise that has affected native manufacturing and contributed to the excessive costs of meals.
“Nariyan na po ang ating agri-stakeholders na nag-aalok ng tulong. I hope the government accepts this offer, as we need all the help we can get to comprehensively address agri-smuggling in our country,” Lee stated.
“Dahil nasa ground sila, alam nila ang pasikot-sikot, alam nila ang epekto ng smuggling. They can ensure that government’s actions are truly targeted and thus, efficient and effective These stakeholders have key insights that policy-makers and implementers might miss out on,” he added.
Lee additionally lauded the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), which has been working with the Department of Agriculture’s counter-intelligence crew in numerous operations in entry ports akin to Manila and Subic.
“Hopefully, we can expect their help not only in enforcement, but in every aspect of our fight against agri-smuggling, including the creation of stronger laws and policies that would effectively address this long-standing problem,” Lee stated.
The lawmaker additionally urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to institutionalize the inspectorate and enforcement division of the DA, which is presently headed by Agriculture Assistant Secretary James Layug. —KBK, GMA Integrated News
