The Senate Committee on Agriculture is set to investigate the alleged overimportation of onions and other agricultural products, amid fears of its impact on local farmers. Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, chair of the committee, announced that upcoming hearings will tackle the entry of large volumes of imported agricultural goods and reports that farmers and fisherfolk are being blocked from accessing cold storage facilities.
The investigation follows an inspection of 26 container vans of imported red onions at the Manila International Container Port, with an estimated total weight of 650,000 kilograms. Pangilinan questioned whether such a large volume of imported onions was necessary and whether it constituted overimportation, even if the required permits were obtained.
The senator also stated that he will summon those issued import permits and operators of cold storage facilities to explain the overimportation issue and allegations that some traders are reserving cold storage facilities that should be available to local producers. Pangilinan emphasized the need to reconcile data from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Plant Industry, and Philippine Statistics Authority to prevent excessive importation of agricultural products that could harm farmers' livelihoods.
He warned that he may block or postpone budget discussions for these agencies if they fail to establish a system to align their data and prevent overimportation.
