Manila, March 9 -- The Food and Terminal Inc. (FTI) has begun buying local onions in Nueva Ecija and is preparing similar interventions in Occidental Mindoro in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to support Filipino farmers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Monday.

In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said these efforts will protect onion growers from the potential decline of farmgate prices as the country nears the peak harvest season.

Farmgate prices of onions typically drop from March to April due to a glut in onion supply aggravated by limited storage capacity.

"With this intervention, we expect to limit the role of middlemen in determining onion prices and help growers obtain bett...