A invoice offering for an Onion Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (OCEF) has been proposed within the House of Representatives.
House agriculture and meals panel chairperson Mark Enverga of Quezon, House appropriations panel chairperson Elizaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list, and House appropriations panel senior vice chairperson Stella Quimbo of Marikina City made the proposal below House Bill 8462 which states that the OCEF shall be sourced from the complete proceeds from tariff revenues ensuing from onion importation.
House Bill 8462 additionally states that the OCEF shall be spent on growth and assist packages for the good thing about Philippine onion farmers and the nation’s onion business which embody assist for farming inputs and gear in addition to manufacturing know-how, farmgate worth assist, credit score, crop safety, storage and chilly storage amenities, extension providers, and market info dissemination, amongst others.
House Bill 8462 additional states that fund releases charged in opposition to the OCEF gained’t be subjected to any ceiling by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The invoice’s authors, of their explanatory notice, stated, they filed the measure because of the House’s 9 public hearings investigating allegations of hoarding, worth manipulation, and cartel actions within the onion business that resulted in retail costs of onions within the Philippines costing at P500-P800 per kilo over the past quarter of 2022.
“While evidence collected during the hearings point to the need for enhanced anti-cartel enforcement as a long-term solution to the high prices of onions, short-term interventions are necessary, including the importation of onions. It is important, however, that onion farmers will benefit entirely from the tariff revenues,” the authors stated of their explanatory notice.
“Hence, this bill seeks to establish an Onion Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to support local farmers and boost their production efficiency, so that in the long-run, they are sufficiently capacitated to compete globally. In view of the foregoing, the passage of the bill is earnestly sought,” they added. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
