Breaking The Chain! Building Onion Industry Free From Cartels’ Grip

An independent Onion Industry free from the control and manipulation of the notorious Cartels was launched yesterday with the opening a Demonstration Farm in San Jose, General Santos City.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) RFU 12 under Director Sailila Abdula, the Agricultural Training Institute under Director Remelyn Recoter, the Bureau of Plant Industry under Director Glenn Panganiban and several other government agencies were joined by the private sector, including Onion seed companies in the program which I called the Mindanao Onion Initiative.
Among the seed companies which participated in yesterday’s activity were Allied Botanicals, Ramgo Seeds, Kaneko and East-West Seeds.
Each of the seed companies will develop Onion plots in the 5,000 square meter Demo Farm Area to show their technology and the production performance of their seeds.
Dir. Abdula said that the DA High Value Crops Program will finance Onion farming in a 5-hectare area beside the Demo Farm which would be divided into plots for members of the Vineyard Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative.
To complete the program, I have received commitments from businessman-friends who support my advocacies to provide the cold storage and the market access for the Onion production of the farmers.
Initial target area to be served by the Mindanao Onion Initiative is Central Mindanao and then it would slowly expand to the Davao Region where there are existing farmers groups who are already into Onion farming.
Outside of the loop controlled by traders and the Cartel, the Mindanao Onion Initiative aims to assure farmers of a fair price for their produce and consumers of affordable prices even during off-harvest season.
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