A new suggested retail price (SRP) will be set for red and white onions this week as it conducts inspections in cold storage facilities, said the Department of Agriculture on Monday, May 22.

According to DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista, the said new SRP is their office’s strategy to protect consumers, saying that the monitoring will not only happen in the market but also in cold storage.

She explained that the Bureau of Plant Industry and DA field inspectors, along with the Philippine National Police and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, will visit cold storages, including privately owned ones, to check the prices of onions.

Earlier, the DA mentioned that it would set the SRP at P140 per kilo for white onions and P150 per kilo for red onions.

The prevalent price of local red and white onions in Metro Manila last Friday varied from PHP 160 to PHP 200 per kilo.

Meanwhile, Evangelista stated that following their stakeholders' conference, some traders have agreed to set wholesale pricing for cold storage.

During the harvest season, the farm gate price ranges from PHP 75 to PHP 85.

According to Evangelista, in order for retailers to apply a PHP150 market price, the price of onions from cold storage must range between PHP125 and PHP130.

Evangelista stated that many agencies are working on monitoring and coordination to guarantee that customers are not abused.

Aside from the SRP and DA interactions with local government units, the department has stated that it is exploring other steps for inspection against price manipulation and calibrated importation.