🧅 Onions have become such a hot commodity in the Philippines amid sky-rocketing prices that they are now being smuggled into the country, customs officials have warned.⁠ ⁠ A price surge sparked by a spate of super typhoons that damaged crops last year has made the dietary staple for nearly every Filipino dish more expensive than beef and chicken.⁠ ⁠ Some economists believe the South East Asian country now has the world’s highest domestic onion prices.⁠ ⁠ Statistics from the department of agriculture showed that red and white onions were selling for as much as $11 per kilogramme on Monday, compared to $4 per kg for chicken, CNN reported.⁠ ⁠ Smugglers have jumped in to take advantage of the public’s desperation.⁠ ⁠ The Bureau of Customs claims to have intercepted smuggling syndicates that have attempted to illegally import huge quantities of onions in cargo shipments labelled as clothing items or home products, planning to hoard them in cold-storage warehouses.⁠ ⁠ Read our Asia Correspondent, Nicola Smith's report in full at the link in bio 📍