Can't buy fresh onions from Taiwan, China? Supermarkets only sell imported onions

Text by Upstream and Downstream reporters Lin Yijun and Yang Yuyun

Domestically grown onions are in season, so go to traditional markets and select supermarkets to support farmers! Onions are being harvested in central Taiwan, China, and the low farm-gate purchase price is making farmers cry. The farm-gate price for Changhua onions is less than 10 yuan per kg, and the farm-gate price in the Yunlin-Chiayi area has shown no improvement either, leaving farmers able to do nothing but worry as they look at their onions. Yet when you walk into a supermarket, there are no locally grown fresh onions to be seen, only large discount signs on imported onions.

A domestic onion wholesaler said that from last year to this year, the pandemic affected the whole world, and foreign onion consumption decreased, creating inventory, so onions were sold off at low prices and imported in large quantities. This is what led to the strange phenomenon of "domestically grown onions being in season yet unavailable for purchase."

Dacheng Farmers' Association and Shengang Farmers' Association said that consumers can call the farmers' associations directly to make purchases, but shipping fees may cost more than the onions themselves. In addition to group buying, they suggest that going directly to a traditional market to buy two jin and take them home is more convenient. Consumers who want to buy directly can call Shengang Farmers' Association at 04-7983191
Dacheng Farmers' Association: 04-8944565.

Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung said that onion imports have no tariff protection mechanism. "We will ask the Agriculture and Food Agency to assist in matching manufacturers, processing, domestic sales and promotions, and use every possible method, which will have a stabilizing effect on farm-gate prices."

Domestically grown onions are in season yet hard to buy; most onions on supermarket shelves are imported

After winter began in November last (2020), domestically grown onions were harvested one after another from central Taiwan, China southward. However, last winter's low temperatures came too late, causing the first harvested Changhua onions to mostly be small bulbs, dragging down farm-gate purchase prices. Domestically grown onions are in season, and consumers want to support them with New Taiwan dollars, but when they go online or walk into PX Mart, Wellcome, or Fengkang Supermarket, there is no sign of domestically grown onions. On the shelves, only discount signs for onions from the United States, New Zealand, and Japan can be seen.

Clearly it is the season for domestically grown onions, so why are the shelves full of imported onions? Both PX Mart and Fengkang Supermarket said that onions from central Taiwan, China have high water content, do not store well, and are not suitable for long display and sale in supermarket stores. In the past, both supermarkets waited until onions from the Hengchun Peninsula were in abundant supply, around February to April, before putting domestically grown onions on the shelves, and they could sell until there was no inventory of chilled onions left. At other times, there is a gap period in the domestically grown onion season, and imported onions are put on the shelves to fill the gap.

Council of Agriculture statistics show that starting in April last year, the volume of imported onions increased gradually. In November, 12,635 metric tons were imported, 2,596 metric tons more than in November 2019. The reason for the increase in imports was related to the Covid-19 pandemic. When wholesalers and supermarket channels were actually asked, the response in every case was, "The price of imported onions this year is very cheap."