According to a study released by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, producers of red onions are incurring up to P6 billion (€102 mln) in post-harvest losses due to the lack of cold storage facilities and reliable logistics.
The estimated volume of post-harvest losses for red onions reached 48,891 tons, or nearly P1.96 billion, while post-harvest losses for the cold-stored onion chain was at 63.9 percent, with estimated volume and value lost at 69,333 MT and nearly P4.01 billion, respectively.
Funded by the Asian Development Bank, the study also revealed that postharvest loss of freshly harvested onions from the farm in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija to the final market in Divisoria, Manila was 45.06 percent.