The Department of Agriculture (DA) and stakeholders have agreed to sell red onions at the suggested retail price (SRP) of P250 per kilo, dzBB said in a radio report Wednesday.

This will take effect starting Wednesday until the first four days of January, dzBB reported.

Among those who attended the meeting with DA officials, farmers group Samahan ng Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), and multipurpose cooperatives.

According to dzBB, the DA and stakeholders discussed ways to bring down the prices of red onions, which have soared to as high as P700 a kilo.

Some options include selling onions at P170 per kilogram at Kadiwa stores and importing onions.

Earlier, SINAG Chairperson Rosendo So said it was too late to import onions because they would arrive during the harvest season.

“We need to check the price (increase) because it is too high. (Onion) farmers mostly harvest on January 15 so prices should be declining,” So told dzBB.

“They should have imported a few white onions last month so that prices would stabilize this month…But if we import them now, we can’t (lower the onion prices) because it will take 15 to 20 days before they arrive. So the stocks will arrive during our harvest season,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS