The Philippines
April 1, 2026
East-West Seed Philippines brought together more than 900 farmers for a field day featuring Dakila F1, the company’s first red creole hybrid onion in the Philippines. The event was held in Mindoro, one of the Philippines’ main onion-producing areas.
The six-day event, held on March 11–13 and 17–19, 2026, gathered farmers from across the island to see the variety’s performance at bulb development stage. The field event featured two crop management approaches implemented by farmer-cooperator partners, giving participants a practical view of how the hybrid performs under local growing conditions.
Addressing challenges in onion farming
The onion industry in the Philippines continues to face significant challenges. Onion productivity is estimated at 13 tons per hectare, below the global average of 15 tons per hectare. This is largely driven by pests and diseases, infestation, post-harvest losses, and climate and water stress. These challenges continue to contribute to a gap between local supply and demand, increasing reliance on imported onions.
Dakila was launched to help farmers improve their productivity and resilience. Based on research trials, it can deliver at least 30% higher yield and increase farmer income by as much as 40%, supported by its large and highly uniform bulbs.
Farmer cooperators also reported improved efficiency in input use. Compared with their usual practice using open-pollinated varieties, they were able to reduce fertilizer costs by at least half. Furrow irrigation intervals were also extended from every seven days to every 10 to 14 days.
During the field day, harvest samples and farmer testimonials also highlighted the hybrid’s strong crop stand, bulb color, three-layered skin, and storability. These traits are important for farmers not only during production, but also in post-harvest handling and marketing.
East-West Seed also reinforced its commitment to helping smallholder farmers start strong. The hybrid comes with NUTRISHIELD+ seed value addition, which provides additional protection during the first 21 days of seedling growth.
Through field activities like this, we continue to support smallholder farmers with practical innovations that help improve yield, manage production costs, and strengthen resilience in challenging growing conditions.
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