A good Philippine onion crop means the country’s government is unlikely to issue import licences for the vegetable in the next six months.
Philippine onion production for the year to the first week of April was 108,656 tonnes, according to a report by GMA News. Around 90 per cent was of the Red Creole variety, and 10 per cent of the Yellow Granex variety.
“Harvested onion will suffice for the next six months given our consumption of Red Creole and Yellow Granex…`is` at 14,000 tonnes a month,” said Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) director Clarito Baron.
That volume represented a good harvest, according to the BPI. Total Philippine onion production in 2010 was over 150,000 tonnes.
As a result of the good crop, Philippine authorities have not issued any onion import licences in the past three months either, reportedly to protect domestic producers.
