The prices of onions in the Philippines have captured international attention with some describing onions as more expensive than meat.
Here in the UAE, prices of onions average Dhs3 or Php44.48 per kilo at regular prices. Some supermarkets even go as low as AED 0.99 or Php 14.68 per kilo of onions whenever there’s a sale.
Current onion prices are now at P300—450 per kilo, equivalent to AED20-30.
In a GMA News report, several Filipinos reported that the price of onions in the country where they live is significantly lower than in the Philippines.
In Switzerland for example where President Bongbong Marcos was attending the World Economic Forum, a kilo of red onions costs 1.90 Swiss francs or P113.
The report said that in Japan and the United Kingdom, a kilo of onions only costs P50. P48 in Denmark and 1 Riyal or P14 in Saudi Arabia
Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand have cheaper onion prices too. In Malaysia, red onions cost P32 per kilo, and white onions cost P60 per kilo. Thailand’s onion prices are at 60 Baht or over P100.
“Part of our problem sa Pilipinas is hindi productive ‘yung agriculture sector natin. Yung mga planting methods, planting and harvesting means and methods and also yung susceptibility ng produce natin sa climate dahil hindi masyado productive agriculture natin, bumababa ang supply sa atin,”economist Renato Reside Jr. told GMA News.
As of posting time, the government has approved the importation of onions which will be in the market in late January.
*AED1 = Php14.83
