By late 2022, the price of red and white onions in the Philippines increased significantly,[1] reaching an all-time high in December at ₱700 per kilogram and leading people to smuggle the commodity into the country.[2][3][4]

Background

Along with garlic, onion is a staple in Filipino cuisine, being used as a base in many dishes.[5] It is a seasonal crop, growing between the rainy months of September and December. Meanwhile, its harvest season begins as early as December and ends in June.[6] The Philippines consumes an average of 17,000 metric tons of onion per month.[7] In August 2022, the country was predicted to experience a shortage of onion and garlic.[8]

The price of red onion in 2021 ranged between ₱90 and ₱120.[6]

Causes

The Department of Agriculture's failure to adequately project supply and demand for onions resulted to a delay in imports, leading to a shortage.[9]

Response

In January 2023, President Bongbong Marcos, who also serves concurrently as Secretary of Agriculture, approved the importation of 21,060 tons of onion.[1] The first shipments began to arrive on January 23.[10] The agriculture department said the importation, albeit a "temporary solution", would help decrease inflation in the country and stabilize the price of the vegetable.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Magramo, Kathleen (January 10, 2023). "Onions are so expensive in the Philippines they're being smuggled into the country". CNN. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  2. ↑ Baclig, Cristina Eloisa (January 25, 2023). "Onion prices worldwide much lower, deepen questions on incredulous costs in PH". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ Liang, Annabelle (January 27, 2023). "Cost of living: How onions became a luxury in the Philippines". BBC News. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ Bharade, Aditi (January 27, 2023). "Onions are now so expensive in the Philippines that they've become a luxury item — and people have been trying to smuggle them across the border". Business Insider. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  5. ↑ de Guzman, Chad (January 9, 2023). "In the Philippines, Onions Are Now More Expensive Than Meat". Time. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  6. 1 2 New Worlds (January 8, 2023). "Philippine onion: Most expensive in the world". The Manila Times. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  7. ↑ Macapagal, Jed (January 5, 2023). "DA hints at importing onions; bans poultry, hog from select". Malaya. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ Arcalas, Jasper Y. (August 31, 2022). "PHL to suffer white onion, garlic shortage". BusinessMirror. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ Jose, Ashley Erika O. (December 26, 2022). "Onion crisis blamed on DA forecasting failures". BusinessWorld. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ Cariaso, Bella (January 24, 2023). "Imported onions start to arrive". The Manila Times. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
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