With onions now more costly than hamburger and chicken in the expansion-hit Philippines, expats in the UAE are doing what for them is the most reasonable thing: packing the staple vegetable into a bag and bringing it home.
Onions are the new chocolates, according to Filipinos who recently flew home for these special seasons.Giving loved ones red onions as a substitute for getting home gifts is currently as uncommon as giving them bars of the finest chocolates.
“It’s the best pasalubong (getting back home gift),” said Jaze, a Dubai resident who went to Manila in December with 10 kg of onions in her luggage.
“I told companions and family members that I could give them just onions and garlic from Dubai as I couldn’t search for different things. They were thankful for it! “Taking into account the inconceivable costs of onions back home, they were exceptionally glad to get some free of charge,” the expat told Khaleej Times.
Jaze expressed that at a store in Dubai, she had the option to purchase the onions for just Dh2 per kilogramme—aa long way from the retail costs back home.
In the Philippines, red onions are currently being sold for up to 600 pesos (around Dh40) per kilogram, in view of the Branch of Horticulture’s observation of market costs on January 9. It’s more costly than hamburger backside, which retails for 380 to 480 pesos (Dh25.50 to Dh32), and triple the cost of chicken, 180 to 220 pesos (Dh12 to Dh15).
