2022–2023 Philippine onion crisis explained

By late 2022, the price of red and white onions in the Philippines increased significantly,[1] reaching an all-time high in December at 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 and .

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. 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.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Magramo . Kathleen . January 10, 2023 . Onions are so expensive in the Philippines they're being smuggled into the country . . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130020512/https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/10/business/philippines-onion-inflation-intl-hnk/index.html . live .
  2. News: Baclig . Cristina Eloisa . January 25, 2023 . Onion prices worldwide much lower, deepen questions on incredulous costs in PH . . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130020512/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1720933/onion-prices-worldwide-much-lower-deepen-questions-on-incredulous-costs-in-ph . live .
  3. News: Liang . Annabelle . January 27, 2023 . Cost of living: How onions became a luxury in the Philippines . . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130020512/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64327724 . live .
  4. News: 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 . . January 30, 2023 . January 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230128234129/https://www.businessinsider.com/philippines-onion-price-soars-smugglers-chicken-2023-1 . live .
  5. de Guzman . Chad . January 9, 2023 . In the Philippines, Onions Are Now More Expensive Than Meat . . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130021852/https://time.com/6245568/philippines-onions-shortage-inflation/ . live .
  6. News: New Worlds . January 8, 2023 . Philippine onion: Most expensive in the world . The Manila Times . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130032422/https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/01/08/opinion/columns/philippine-onion-most-expensive-in-the-world/1873211 . live .
  7. News: Macapagal . Jed . January 5, 2023 . DA hints at importing onions; bans poultry, hog from select . . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130022515/https://malaya.com.ph/news_business/da-hints-at-importing-onions-bans-poultry-hog-from-select-countries/ . live .
  8. News: Arcalas . Jasper Y. . August 31, 2022 . PHL to suffer white onion, garlic shortage . . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130053329/https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/08/31/phl-to-suffer-white-onion-garlic-shortage/ . live .
  9. News: Jose . Ashley Erika O. . December 26, 2022 . Onion crisis blamed on DA forecasting failures . . January 30, 2023 . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130054842/https://www.bworldonline.com/economy/2022/12/26/495277/onion-crisis-blamed-on-da-forecasting-failures/ . live .
  10. News: Cariaso . Bella . January 24, 2023 . Imported onions start to arrive . . January 30, 2023.

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