The plight of the onion industry in the onion capital of the Philippines: Basis for intervention strategies

The study aimed to assess the plight of the onion industry in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, dubbed the onion capital of the Philippines. The study employed a descriptive methodology. A total of 184 onion farmers from Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, served as respondents. The study revealed that most of the farmer respondents were “kasama” or tenants to the land owners. Farmers borrowed capital from trader-capitalists to finance their farm operations. Significant problems faced by onion farmers included the rising cost of farm inputs because they are imported, which could greatly affect net returns. Farm mechanization was limited, and a shortage of farm laborers was prevalent. Weather conditions and the severity of pest infestation influenced the volume of harvests. The difficulties were further aggravated by the farmers’ suspicion of price manipulation by big-time traders and unregulated importation directly competing with the price of local onions. Storing onions in cold storage facilities was the last recourse when the farmgate price was low. Based on the results of the study, intervention strategies are proposed that may be considered by concerned agencies when designing policies, programs, and projects to help the local farmers take advantage of the promising opportunities in onion growing and eventually improve the onion industry’s competitiveness in general.

本研究旨在评估素有"菲律宾洋葱之都"之称的新怡诗夏省邦加邦镇洋葱产业的发展困境。本研究采用描述性研究方法，共选取184名来自该地区的洋葱种植户作为调查受访者。研究结果显示，多数受访种植户为土地所有者的"卡萨马"（kasama）佃农，需从贸易资本家处借贷资金以支撑农场运营。洋葱种植户面临的核心困境包括：因农用物资依赖进口导致的成本持续上涨，该因素将严重影响种植净收益；农场机械化水平有限，且雇工短缺问题普遍存在。气候条件与病虫害严重程度直接影响洋葱产量，而种植户对大型贸易商操纵价格以及无管制进口农产品直接冲击本地洋葱售价的疑虑，进一步加剧了上述困境。当农场收购价低迷时，将洋葱存入冷藏库是种植户的最终应对手段。基于本研究结果，本研究提出一系列干预策略，供相关机构在制定政策、规划与项目时参考，以助力本地种植户把握洋葱种植的良好发展机遇，最终全面提升洋葱产业的整体竞争力。