Onions have become a luxury item in the Philippines

Farmer Luis Angeles harvests onion before they finish growing to take advantage of the very high prices of this food, which has become a luxury item in the Philippines.

Prices on onion they have risen sharply in recent months, reaching 800 pesos (nearly $15) per kilo in Manila supermarkets, more expensive than chicken or pork.

Some restaurants have been removed. onion from their plates, and many homes, hit by the highest inflation in 14 years, stopped consuming it.

To meet demand and keep the price below 200 pesos, the government authorized the importation of 21,000 tons of onions.

But prices remain high, and farmers like Angeles are harvesting earlier than usual to take advantage of the income.

“What is happening is historic,” says Angeles, 37, as his workers dig small white and purple bulbs out of the ground in the northern city of Bongabon, the self-proclaimed national onion capital.

“This is the first time prices have reached this level,” he explains.

When it began harvesting in December, the price in Angeles reached 250 pesos per kilo. onion.

But on the shelves of Manila’s supermarkets, the price was more than twice the daily minimum wage.

“I told my family, ‘Let’s sell onions instead of eating them,'” Candy Roasa, 56, said as she strolled through the capital’s market, where she said she saw small onions selling for up to 80 pesos each. .

symbol of wealth

The humble vegetable has become a symbol of wealth in this poor Asian country.

One bride used expensive light bulbs instead of flowers in her wedding bouquet.

Recently, crew members on a Philippine Airlines flight from the Middle East were detained at the airport in Manila for trying to present smuggled bow.

This is not the first time the Philippines has faced a shortage of basic food items, causing prices to skyrocket. This has already happened with sugar, salt and rice.

Low yields, high costs, lack of investment in irrigation and machinery, lack of cooling pads and roads, and frequent typhoons have damaged the agricultural sector.

Pest outbreaks and rising prices for oil and fertilizer following the Russian invasion of Ukraine have exacerbated the plight of farmers.

Despite government promises to increase local food production, the country remains dependent on imports to feed 112 million people.

the president Ferdinand Marcos he took over as minister of agriculture to revive a nearly moribund sector that accounts for a quarter of the country’s jobs but only 10% of GDP.

“Our agricultural sector is facing big challenges,” says Geni Lapina, professor of agricultural economics at University of the Philippines.

According to official figures, each Filipino consumes an average of 2.34 kg of onions per year, and in theory the country produces enough to meet this demand.

But since the tropical climate allows for an annual harvest onion, stocks were depleted or lost before the next harvest. (AFP)