Why onions cost pass meat for di Philippines

"Onion toppings no dey. Evri restaurant dey face shortage of onions.

You see di signs evriwia."According to official statistics, di price of onions don rise for di Philippines to around 700 pesos ($12.80; £10.40) per kg last month.

Di price big pass di cost of meat, and di daily minimum wage of di Southeast Asian kontri.

Even though di prices don reduce small in recent weeks, onions na luxury for many consumers, na wetin Rizalda Maunes, wey dey one pizzeria for di central Cebu city tok.

"We bin dey buy three to four kilogrammes of onions a day. Now we dey buy half a kilo na wetin we fit afford,"

Ms Maunes tell di BBC, "Our customers understand becos no be just restaurants... households sef dey get a hard time as onions dey make many foods sweet" she add.

Di staple ingredient for Filipino cuisine don become a symbol of di rising cost of living.

E come as inflation, wey dey measure di rise in prices of evritin from food to fuel, reach di highest in 14-years for di tropical kontri last month.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, wey also be di agriculture secretary, don call di rising food prices an "emergency situation".

Earlier dis month Mr Marcos approve di import of red and yellow onions as im dey attempt to boost supply.

Experts say di reopening of di Philippines economy dey drive demand, while harsh weather don affect di production of food, including onions.

"Back in August, di Department of Agriculture bin forecast a potential shortage of di root crop.

A few months later, two powerful storms hit di Philippines wey cause substantial crop damage," Nicholas Mapa, a senior economist at ING Bank tok.

"We don also see a stark pickup in demand as di economy dey recover sharply," Mr Mapa tok.

Widespread impact

Rising prices don also hit street food stalls for Cebu, wey dey popular wit locals and tourists.

Dem dey serve Fried vegetables, meat and seafood, wit onion and vinegar dipping sauce.

"Onions na a big part of our dishes. E dey add a flavourful crunch and sweetness to contrast di saltiness of our food," Alex Chua, wey don reduce onions for im store tok.

"We dey thankful say di goment dey implement measures to stop di increase of prices.

We hope say dem go continue to implement such measures to bring prices down further," im adds.

Pipo don dey find Onion sotay April Lyka Biorrey chose to carry a bouquet of d crop for her wedding in Iloilo City.

"I don ask my groom if we fit use onions instead of flowers, since afta di wedding di flowers go spoil and end up for dustbin," Ms Biorrey tell a local newspaper.

"So why not onions? E dey practical in a way wey you fit still use am afta di wedding," she tok.

Oda don enta trouble for smuggling onions into di kontri.

Earlier dis month, authorities investigate 10 crew members from Philippine Airlines for attempting to smuggle nearly 40kg of onions and fruits into luggage bags.

Customs officials later say dem no go face charges but warned travellers against carrying produce without permits.

Growing Crisis

Di crisis don put pressure on Mr Marcos, wey don promise to boost food production as agriculture secretary.

Some lawmakers don tell am to appoint a replacement. Wen im bin dey tok for one hearing on di rising food prices for di kontri, Philippines Senator Grace Poe say, "Before na sugar, now na onions.

We go end up to get hearing for evritin inside di kitchen."Marie-Anne Lezoraine from di Kantar Worldpanel consultancy say climate change na also a major threat to di food security of di kontri.

"Purchasing power dey tight for most consumers wey dey already afford only di essentials.

If climate change dey cause shortages and therefore prices dey ris, e go cause a very damaging impact on a large proportion of consumers for di Philippines," Ms Lezoraine tok.

But Mr Mapa believes say di price of onions fit stabilise as di goment imports more of di crop.

"However di timing fit dey unfortunate as e coincides wit di February harvest season for locally produced onions," im tok.

"Prices fit actually drop dramatically once both harvest and imports hit di market almost di same time."