In the Philippines, onions have become a luxury. It costs more than meat

“Although prices have fallen in recent weeks, onions are still a luxury for many consumers,” the BBC quoted Risalda Munz, who runs a pizzeria in the central city of Cebu.

We used to buy three to four kilograms of onions a day. “Now we buy half a kilo, which is all we can afford,” the owner of the restaurant told the BBC.

BBC adds that The current price of onions is greater than the cost of meat plus the daily minimum wage in Southeast Asian country.

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BBC notes An essential ingredient in Filipino cuisine has become a symbol of the rising cost of living.

Inflation is breaking new records and is the highest in 14 years.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also serves as Minister of Agriculture, called the food price hike an “emergency.” Earlier this month, Mr Marcus agreed to import red and yellow onions in a bid to increase supply, the BBC reported.

“Back in August, the Ministry of Agriculture was forecasting a possible shortage of root crops. A few months later The Philippines was hit by a strong storm that caused severe damage to cropsNicholas Mapa, chief economist at ING Bank, tells the BBC.

The importance of onions to Filipinos can be seen in the fact that April Lyka Biorrey She chose to carry a bouquet of onions to her wedding in Iloilo City.

“I asked my groom-to-be if we could use onions instead of flowers, because after the wedding the flowers would wither and end up being thrown away,” Beuri told a local newspaper.

Rzeczpospolita reports that bad harvests in the West and the war in Ukraine have caused the highest exports in years and a jump in prices.

In Poland, onion crops have been exceptionally successful. The newspaper, referring to the data of the Central Statistical Office, reported that the heat-loving vegetable crops are better than expected: tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.

The jump in exports to Ukraine caused sales from Poland from July to October 2022 to increase by up to 60 percent. from year to year. The world bought from Poland up to 41 percent. More onions. The Netherlands remains the main recipient, which bought 44 thousand. tons worth 28 million euros, followed by Great Britain (30 thousand tons for 18 million euros). Surprises came in third place, as Ukraine jumped from eighth place, as it bought up to 50,000 tons for only 17 million euros.

2.28 PLN were paid for a kilogram of onions in mid-December. This is the highest price in December since 2004.almost three times higher than in 2021.