MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) intensified targeted onion purchases to help local growers amid falling farmgate prices.

The Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), in coordination with private sector partners, is accelerating market interventions to support onion farmers in Occidental Mindoro.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the move aims to stabilize prices “without distorting the market.”

“We must strike a careful balance – ensuring farmers earn fairly while protecting consumers from price spikes,” he said.

“Strategic buying and storage allow us to support producers during periods of oversupply, while preserving enough buffer to prevent sharp increases in retail prices,” he added.

Private investors have procured around 6,000 bags of onions in Occidental Mindoro at PHP32 to PHP35 per kilogram, well above the prevailing farmgate price of PHP22 per kilogram and the average production cost of PHP18 to PHP24 per kilogram.

FTI Sales and Distribution Manager Edoard Medalla urged the private sector to continue purchasing local onions.

“We cannot guarantee we will buy all production, but we will try to support prices around PHP35 a kilo, depending on quality and storage availability,” Medalla said, noting that the estimated onion output in Occidental Mindoro is 3.2 million bags.

The agency is coordinating with experts outside the province to secure proper storage and maintain the quality of the harvested onions.

“This is the first time we entered the onion market in Mindoro, so we have to rely on experts we have engaged in Nueva Ecija to maintain quality,” he said.

In Nueva Ecija, about 110,000 bags have been procured at an average price of PHP40 per kilogram, with the FTI securing a 190,000-bag cold storage capacity in the province.