Onion farmers seek summit on ASEAN integration

By Sheen Crisologo

BONGABON, Nueva Ecija — In the interest of onion farmers, Mayor Allan Xystus Gamilla of this town has urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to call a summit on the forthcoming integration of the member-economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Leading a town known as the country’s onion capital, Gamilla said local farmers are apprehensive of what he termed as the apparent lack of prior strategic planning of the DA with regards to the integration’s effects on the competitiveness of the country’s onion industry.

Gamilla said the DA should draw up a comprehensive road map to make onion farmers competitive amid the expected entry of imported onions with the economic integration in 2015.

“As of now, the DA has no clear plan to prepare our onion farmers for the coming integration. That’s why I think we need to hold a summit and discuss how onion farmers could cope with  the coming integration,” he said.

Gamilla said Bongabon remains as the country’s top producer of onions yet local farmers’ fear being unable to compete with their counterparts from other member economies. “We might be placed at a disadvantage unless there are interventions in place. Maybe, the government should consider subsidizing us,” he said.