Claim: PH sells the most expensive white onions in the world
Rating: TRUE
Facts: We have been crying over white onions for the past four months because they suddenly were beyond our pockets.
For months, we are being told that the lack of imported onions from China, Thailand, and India was the reason that the price is beyond reach and that the trend will continue until December.
With the price reaching P300 a kilo, the Department of Agriculture, which is headed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is saying that they are closely “studying” the situation still.
Some say the weather has not been conducive to cultivating onions and that traditional onion farmers shifted to something else. But there was no dramatic change in the weather and climate and no reason for farmers to switch as the demand could be huge.
We compared the price of onions in the Philippines with 90 other countries (globalproductprices.com) and the Philippines indeed has the highest price.
For September, onions in the Philippines averaged US$6.30 per kilo. That is almost two-thirds higher than Puerto Rico, with $4.70 a kilo at 2nd place, and Japan, 3rd at $4.62.
At far fourth is Indonesia, with $3.02 per kilo.
The average price worldwide is $1.41 per kilo.
Globalproductprices track retail prices of a wide range of goods, services and global products from 90 countries.
Why we fact-checked this: For an agricultural country like ours with a tradition of onion cultivation, to get the notoriety of having the most expensive onions is unjustified, unfair, and unconscionable.
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