Chickens, too, says farmer’s group after onion import suspension

Farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) yesterday said that the moratorium on the importation of agriculture products should be the practice of the Department of Agriculture (DA) if there is a slump in the farmgate price of farm products, after Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel ordered a suspension in the outsourcing of onions.

In an interview with The STAR, SINAG executive director Jayson Cainglet said that a suspension on the arrival of imported chickens should also be imposed, as poultry raisers are experiencing a depressed farmgate price of the commodity.

“As early as last week, we already recommended a moratorium (on the importation of onions). Obviously, the farmgate price (of onions) is down, so we recommended (the suspension in the importation of onions), and we are commending the DA for the immediate action,” Cainglet said.

“We are also proposing to look into the farmgate (price) of chicken as it is almost the same as the cost of producing chicken,” he said.

According to Cainglet, poultry raisers suffer because of oversized chickens, amid the flooding of imported frozen products in the market.

“Poultry raisers are forced not to release the chickens in the markets, as there are no buyers. They spend more for feeds if the chickens stay in the farm,” he noted.

On Friday, Laurel directed the Bureau of Plant Industry to halt the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance until July as the local harvest season started, as farmers in Nueva Ecija said that the farmgate price of the white bulbs went down to as low as P18 per kilo.

“The key word here is that the policies should always be timely, like the release of subsidy, inputs, fertilizer. So, this moratorium to import is very timely amid the slump in the farmgate price (of onions),” Cainglet said.

He added that the peak harvest season of onions will start in February until March.

“The bulk of the onion farmers will already harvest. So, we commend DA for the swiftness and timeliness of policies. Even if you have policies, but are late, either you are not sincere or too slow or inefficient,” Cainglet said.

He added that onion growers thanked Laurel for the moratorium in the importation of the bulbs.

“We are happy that he listened to the industry, and this (moratorium) should be across commodities if there is a slump in the farmgate price like for palay, pork and chickens. The data is crucial, so that if there is depression in the farmgate, you can impose (a moratorium) anytime,” Cainglet said.

On the other hand, Cainglet maintained that the infestation of armyworm at the onion farms is an isolated case, and not the cause of the slump in farmgate prices.

“It is an isolated case, otherwise the farmgate price will increase as it means there is limited supply. The armyworm is being highlighted but the main issue is the decline in the farmgate price because of the flooding of imported (onions),” he said.

Cainglet said that the farmgate price for red onions should be at P80 per kilo, and white onions at P100 per kilo to ensure farmers will earn.

He added that the farmgate price of white onions reached as low as P18 per kilo amid oversupply.

“There are many supplies, and even if you store the white onions in cold storage, the weight decreases, the farmers really suffer,” Cainglet said.

He said that the DA should also closely monitor the retail price to ensure that the consumers benefit from the lower farmgate price of the bulbs.

“It is also crucial for the DA to monitor the retail prices as it is possible that the cost will increase because of speculation,” Cainglet added.

Based on monitoring of the DA, the retail price of local red onions ranged between P110 and P200 per kilo; local white onions between P70 and P140 per kilo; imported red and white onions, between P80 and P170 per kilo.

For his part, Gregorio San Diego, chairman of the United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA) and Philippine Egg Board, said that local chicken raisers have been calling for the suspension on the importation of chickens amid the flooding of imported frozen products in the market.

“We’ve been pushing for that (moratorium) or to at least lower the volume of importation, but our request has yet to be granted,” San Diego told The STAR.

For his part, UBRA president Elias Jose Inciong said the board will meet to tackle the possible proposal for a moratorium on chicken imports.

“Our priority is the implementation of the laws that ensure competitiveness, fair trade, and a decision-making process based on unmassaged data and information,” Inciong said in a separate message to The STAR.