The Ukraine war and extreme weather conditions have jacked up prices of onions and other vegetables in at least 10 countries across western Asia, northern Africa, and Europe
Onion prices are making people weep the world over. While prices of the vegetable (along with potato) have crashed in India, putting farmers in distress, neighbouring Pakistan and at least nine other countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa are reeling under excessively high prices, thanks to the war in Ukraine and extreme weather events.
Some of the other countries that have been experiencing high onion prices are the Philippines, Ukraine, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Morocco, and Austria, making it a symbol of the global food crisis. In the Philippines, onion prices are reportedly higher than that of meat, prompting people to compare the root vegetable to gold. And, experts say the worst is yet to come.
The Philippines case
The trouble started last year with the Russia-Ukraine War, which recently completed a year. First, wheat and other grains became costlier. Now, those prices have come down, but the global vegetable market has been affected. Media reports say the cost of onions has quadrupled over the past four months.
Source: The Federal
