The Philippines is facing an onion shortage. Prices are higher than pork, chicken, cow and minimum wage.

In many countries, onions are a staple for cooking. commonly found while meat is more expensive but in the Philippines now The price of onions has skyrocketed even more than chicken and beef.

Garlic and onions were introduced to the Filipino culinary culture during the Spanish colonization between 1521 and 1898, and today onions are an essential ingredient in the nation’s cuisine.

This week, a kilogram of onions and shallots costs around $11, while a chicken costs just $4.

The daily minimum wage in the Philippines is more than 9 US dollars or about 295 baht.

When the price is so high Authorities have to detain people who illegally transport onions. In early January, authorities were able to intercept smuggling of onions worth $310,000. can come from China The smuggler tried to say that the crates contained clothing.

This caused a lot of discussion on social media. Many Filipinos traveling abroad choose to buy onions for friends and family as souvenirs. Instead of choosing other souvenirs such as chocolate

Manny, a retired Filipino journalist, came to Bangkok on business in November, telling BBC Thai that The price of onion in Thailand is almost 10 times cheaper than in the Philippines until he bought 2 kg back to the country.

“Onion Now It’s as valuable as gold…I’m lucky that customs officials allow me to take it into the country,” Manny said after carrying onions worth 100 baht from Thailand to the Philippines.

He will have to pay up to 700 pesos or 430 baht per kg if bought in Manila.

But not everyone is as lucky as him. Local media reported that on Jan. 10, 10 Philippine Airlines flight attendants were arrested at Manila airport after smuggling 27 kilograms of aromatic spices from the Middle East.

Nicholas Mapa, a senior economist at ING, who lives in Manila, said some restaurants have even phased out menus containing onions. Some business owners have to turn to alternatives. For example, chef Jam Melker, founder of the Movement to Preserve the Culinary Heritage of the Philippines, turned to the endemic variety of onion, lasona, for a different flavor. and as small as a grape

“Both restaurants and the general public suffer from this situation. The current price of onions is too high. And we try to make the most of the options we have,” Mr Melker told the BBC. He said onions are very important to local cuisine and are present in every dish Filipinos cook.

Nicholas Mapa says there are two factors. The Philippine Department of Agriculture predicted in August last year that the country would produce less onions than it needed, adding that the situation was even worse during the harvest season. Because the Philippines encounters typhoons between August and September.

The economist explained that it was unfortunately too late for the Philippines to start importing onions. In the first week of January, the Philippine government approved imports of 22 million tonnes of onions to curb domestic prices. Experts like Fermin Adriano, a former adviser to the agriculture ministry, say this is a failure of the government. that should be prepared to import goods to meet the needs of the people

Online, social media users have linked the crisis as a mistake by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., known as “Bonbon” after he became the leader of the United Nations. The country, Mr Marcos Jr., appointed himself as Minister of Agriculture, despite having no experience working in the field.

Cindy van Rijswig, a fruit and vegetable analyst at Rabobank, said the Philippines is an importer of onions. This means that the country consumes more than it produces.

Domestic demand for onions fluctuated each year, from 5 million kilograms in 2011 to 132 million kilograms in 2015, the analyst said, adding that the Philippines often imports onions from India, China and the Netherlands.

Rijswick explains that they have to rely on foreign countries because they can’t store their stuff for long. Unlike other regions in Northern Europe and North America. Where to store onions for a year

This analyst also said that Onions are the 3rd most grown vegetable worldwide after tomatoes and cucumbers.

Although not as severe as other countries facing onion price increases as well. One example is Brazil, where prices rose the most in 2022. Looking at the official numbers, The price is up to 130.14%.

One of the reasons for the higher onion prices is the higher cost of farming and production. The prices of necessities such as fertilizers and pesticides are affected by foreign exchange rates and the war in Ukraine.