The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) is demanding immediate accountability from the Department of Agriculture (DA) regarding its Php3-billion cold storage program and the Optimization and Resiliency In the Onion Industry Network (ORION) Project, as the latest onion importation policy is expected to wreak havoc on local farmers. “We have seen this before—onion prices plummeting and farmers forced to dump their harvest due to oversupply. Now, the government must answer: What happened to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promise to build more cold storage facilities for farmers?

“In 2024, President Bongbong Marcos Jr. himself acknowledged that oversupply drive prices down, and proposed cold storage as a solution. He even cited solar power as a way to reduce operational costs. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel later announced that the government plans to establish two solar-powered cold storage facilities in Occidental Mindoro by 2025. However, farmers across the country are still struggling to access proper storage, and massive onion wastage continues. Where are these promised facilities?”

Danilo Ramos, KMP chairperson and Makabayan senatorial candidate, criticized the DA’s policies, stating: “The government is repeating its past mistakes. It allows imports to flood the market at the worst possible time—when local farmers are harvesting. This leads to oversupply, plunging prices, and tons of wasted onions. Instead of helping our farmers, the DA’s policies have worsened their suffering.”

In 2024, red onion prices dropped to as low as Php10 per kilo in Dagupan City markets due to excessive supply. Farmers in Nueva Ecija were also forced to dump onions as cold storage facilities overflow and traders prefer imported bulbs. The extreme price drop was attributed to early harvesting and excessive reliance on cold storage, which failed to stabilize the market.

Despite the lessons from the 2022 onion crisis—where a lack of storage facilities and improper handling led to the loss of 100,000 metric tons of onions—the DA continues policies that fail to protect local farmers.

The ORION Project, launched in 2023 and claimed to improve the onion industry’s productivity and logistics, has done little to prevent the worsening state of onion farmers. Its promise of supporting local onion farmers rings hollow as the government proceeds with large-scale onion importation, including 4,000 metric tons of white and red onions.

“DA’s ORION Project claimed to promote a resilient onion industry, yet local farmers are being left behind. The DA approved importation knowing local farmers cannot sell their produce while imports continue to flood the market. Who is benefiting from these policies? Certainly not the farmers,” Ramos emphasized.

The DA also promised to expand onion cultivation by 2,000 hectares in Central Luzon, including production zones in Pampanga and Tarlac. However, there is no corresponding commitment to prioritize local farmers over importers.

KMP demands an immediate halt to further imports to allow local farmers to recover. The group also calls for full transparency on the Php3-billion cold storage program and the ORION Project. “Farmers deserve to know where these funds are being spent and why the promised facilities are not helping them.”

“We must protest DA’s skewed policy of prioritizing importers over local farmers. Stop the unbridled importation, take the PH agriculture out of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and genuinely strengthen local agri production,” Ramos urged. “The continued suffering of onion farmers is a clear indication that DA policies need an urgent overhaul.” ###