Tomato, onion production rise in Q3

TOMATO and onion output posted strong gains on a seasonally adjusted basis in the third quarter, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said tomato production for the three months to September was 57,320 metric tons (MT), up 43.9% from the previous quarter.

The 43.9% rise is the biggest increase in seasonally adjusted tomato output in at least nine years, according to PSA records.

Meanwhile, seasonally adjusted onion production in the third quarter rose 20.6% from a quarter earlier to 104,810 MT.

The third-quarter rise in onion output is the biggest increase in seasonally adjusted production since the fourth quarter of 2024.

Seasonally adjusted volumes, which strip out the effect of factors such as harvest season, trader demand, and lean production months, show the underlying trends in production, allowing for clearer comparisons across quarters. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel