BONGABON, Nueva Ecija—It is the end of the harvest month for farmers and growers of red and white onions in the fields of Bongabon, the onion capital of the Philippines.
Despite the continued presence of “army worms” pest, onion growers and farmers still ended with a bountiful harvest fhis year.
Farm gate price of onion is P35 per kilo, and being sold directly to dealers and in different markets at P54 oer kilo, says sixty four year old farmer Melendres Puntil, from Barangay Lusok.
Puntil told NEWSCORE over the weekend that one proof of the good harvest this year amidst the insistent worms is that there were onions still left to harvest during these last few days of the month.
“We can still harvest while it is almost the end of March already,” he said.
Onion season is between December to March where farmers and growers plant, grow and harvest onions.
After the harvest time this month, the land and fields will be used for corn production until July.
With a month’s relief for the soil, it will be palay crops between August to December and another season to produce onion.
According to fourty year old onion grower Milagros Salon, despite the still good harvest this year, it was even bountiful last year.
She said they have to finish the harvest during these last days of the month because of the army worms that swarm their farms despite their usage of pesticides. “Singaw ng lupa siguro, iyon ang dahilan. Kaya kailangan na naming maubos anihin dahil nakikipag-agawan kami sa uod,” she told NEWSCORE.
