27 July 2009

The Rising Price of Local Flavor


Large Taiwanese garlic, 50 pesos a kilo. Small Ilokos, 160 per kilo. Large Ilokos, 240 per kilo.

All who cook can attest to the superiority of our local flavoring agents, but insanely low prices of smuggled or dumped onions and garlic make consumers choose the Taiwanese (or Chinese, or Indian) alternatives. How much longer will it be worth it for farmers to produce these gisa necessities locally? Free trade, indeed.


Lady empties an imported sack of large Taiwanese red onions, 60 pesos a kilo. Sibuyas Tagalog, 120 pesos a kilo.
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