MANILA — Senator Loren Legarda called for an urgent investigation into the sharp decline of onion farm gate prices in Nueva Ecija and Occidental Mindoro by mistimed import arrivals, oversaturated cold storage facilities, and anomalous shipments in Bulacan, revealing systemic weaknesses in the onion supply chain.

On March 11, 2026, Legarda filed P.S. Resolution No. 344 directing the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform to examine the compliance of the Department of Agriculture, its attached agencies, and local governments with import scheduling and cold storage regulations. The resolution also seeks accountability for illegal imports and the recurring dominance of onion cartels.

“When farmers lose, the entire nation suffers. We cannot allow the sweat and sacrifice of our onion farmers to be wasted because of cartels and misguided policies,” Legarda said.

The resolution notes that 4,000 metric tons of imported onions overlapped with peak harvest season and that 82 percent of cold storage capacity was saturated, restricting farmer access. Despite the Department of Agriculture’s prior commitment to halt imports by January, Bureau of Plant Industry records showed Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSICs) remained valid until February 15, 2026.

“Why allow importation at the height of harvest? The result is farm gate prices collapsing while market prices remain high. Traders profit, but farmers are left behind,” Legarda said.

The resolution directs agencies to implement an immediate import ban to prevent predatory pricing, audit the supply chain to trace profit margins of cold storage operators and wholesalers, review storage capacity in Nueva Ecija and Occidental Mindoro—including the new Barangay Labangan facility—investigate anomalous shipments in Bulacan, and assess other onion-producing areas nationwide for similar irregularities.

Legarda also raised concern over reportedly illegally imported onions from China found in Bulacan, which created a “shadow supply” outside official BPI records. She said these illicit stocks inflated market volume, depressed farm gate prices, and highlighted lapses in border control and regulatory enforcement.

“If we do not dismantle the monopoly over cold storage and import permits, this crisis will repeat every year. Government must buy directly from farmers and build farmer-managed storage facilities so they can compete fairly,” Legarda said.

The resolution further recommends an automatic import ban every December to prevent surplus during harvest, stricter enforcement against agricultural sabotage under RA 12022, direct government procurement of local harvests at support prices, construction of farmer-managed cold storage facilities, and an investigation into the “prior booking” system that disadvantages farmers.