You would assume that unlawful shipments of gold nuggets or silver coins are on customs agents’ radar when they are looking to make a bust. However, the Philippine government apparatus is now on high alert to crack down on smugglers who are attempting to import, get ready for this, onions! The cost of the common vegetable has skyrocketed, making chicken more affordable.
The Department of Agriculture in the Philippines reported that a kilogram of red and white onions was going for 600 Philippine pesos ($11)
The Department of Agriculture in the Philippines reported that a kilogram of red and white onions was going for 600 Philippine pesos ($11). The price of chicken, which was marketed for 220 pesos ($4) per kg, is almost three times higher. The price of onions has risen over the nation’s minimum daily wage, prompting smugglers to discover a lucrative, and illegal, niche.
Joey Salceda, a resident economist at the Philippine House of Representatives, was quoted by CNN as saying that the Philippines has the “highest domestic onion pricing in the world.” There are indications that this will happen. Last year, a series of super typhoons damaged an onion crop worth tens of billions of pesos. The nation has been plagued by rising inflation in recent months.
In December of last year, consumer prices increased by 8.1%
The Philippine Statistics Authority reports that in December of last year, consumer prices increased by 8.1%. A fourteen-year high, this. The authorities have intensified their pursuit of the smugglers amid allegations of onion price manipulation. On December 23, customs officers seized white onions valued at USD 310,000. The onions were concealed in clothing shipments. Just two days before that, red onions worth USD 364,000 were seized. These were being smuggled in pastry boxes.