Garlic and onion farmers in Ilocos region will soon be getting the much-needed boost to reduce the country’s dependence on imported garlic and onion following a dialogue facilitated by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), which sought to address their production and marketing concerns.
The public dialogue was held on November 9 in San Juan town in La Union among agrarian-reform beneficiaries engaged in garlic and onion production.
During the dialogue, officials of the DAR received reports of the steep drop in the domestic production of onion and garlic in the area.
In a statement, DAR Regional Director Virgilio L. Acuña said data provided to his department in the region indicated that the decline in onion and garlic production in Ilocos resulted in the importation of onion and garlic from other countries.
Acuña said latest numbers showed that 94 percent of the supply of garlic and 60 percent of onion in the Philippines are already imported.
He also enumerated various problems faced by the onion and garlic industry in the area, which includes plant diseases and the lack of quality seedlings, which severely reduces the quality and volume of production, the entry of cheap imports and smuggled garlic and onions.
The massive inflow of imported and smuggled onions and garlic caused prices to drop steeply and farmers to incur huge losses.
Acuna also took note of the lack of new production technology available to local garlic and onions producers as among the factors behind the decline in the output of the two farm products.
He added that the dialogue also aimed to directly identify from the farmers their “present status and predicament.”
“From there, we would determine the possible types of assistance that can be provided to the farmers by the government, local government of units and private sectors, such as technical assistance, inputs, production and postharvest facilities, support infrastructures, credit, farm types of machinery and assured market support, among others,” Acuña said.
DAR Head Executive Assistant Shiela Enciso delivered a message in behalf of Officer in Charge Secretary Rosalina Bistoyong, who threw her support behind the onion and garlic industry in the country.
The other factors behind the drop in the production of onion in the region were also presented by Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (Parpo) II Maria Ana B. Francisco during the dialogue.
These factors, Francisco said, include the prolonged rainy seasons in recent years and “severe fungus attack”.
Acuña was joined by Rep. DV B. Savellano, DAR Region 11 Director Joseph H. Orilla, Vice Gov. Aureo Nisce who represented Gov.Pacoy Ortega, Benito S. Andaya of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Ruby Ann L. Matutino from the Office of Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, Parpo II Christianne Suguitan, Parpo II Vic M. Ines and Parpo II lawyer Raul C. Laluan.
Farmers from the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan participated in the activity.