The Department of Agriculture (DA) will establish the country’s first Onion Research and Extension Center to revitalize the “sibuyas” industry, with the center to be located in Bongabon, the Philippines’ leading onion producer.
In addition to the research and extension center, Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. pledged to help Bongabon’s farmers adopt new technologies to boost farm productivity, promising to allocate up to P5 million to double funding for the procurement of pheromone lures to help onion farmers combat army worms.
“Our goal is clear – make the Philippines self-sufficient in onion production, eliminate the need for imports, and increase the income of local farmers,” the DA chief said.
He emphasized the DA’s support to strengthen technical capabilities in farmers’ cooperatives and called on Bongabon Mayor Ricardo Padilla and local government officials to actively participate in DA programs focused on food security, price stability, and combating smuggling that threatens onion farmers’ livelihoods.
While Nueva Ecija is renowned as the country’s top rice producer, it is also the leading producer of onions, with Bongabon at the forefront.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) 2024 data, about 12,726.11 hectares in Central Luzon were planted with onions, yielding 158,088.41 metric tons, and accounting for 59.8% of the national output.
Bongabon contributed approximately 25% of the region’s onion production, or about 15% of the national total last year.
The onion center will be the first of its kind in the country and will focus on combating onion pests and diseases, improving seed quality, and increasing farm yields.
The national onion harvest reached 264,323.89 metric tons (MT) in 2024, 4.48% higher from 2023, however still short of the projected demand of 270,000 MT for the year.
In 2022, onion production rose to 241,033 MT, marking a 10.54 percent increase from 2021 amid record-high prices due to a supply shortage, exacerbated by delayed imports.
The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) estimated that monthly consumption stood at 17,000 metric tons for red onions and 4,000 metric tons for white onions. Onion prices peaked at P700 per kilo in 2022.
