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Shortage of Onions Threatens a New Chapter in Global Food Crisis

Soaring prices at the vegetable market are threatening nutrition and forcing governments from Morocco to the Philippines to protect supplies.

A worker unloads boxes of onions at an open market in Algiers, Algeria. 

A worker unloads boxes of onions at an open market in Algiers, Algeria. 

Source: AFP/Getty Images

Lalaine Basa would buy a kilo of onions to make spring rolls at her catering business north of Manila. She’s now changed her recipe to use half the amount because of soaring prices in the Philippines.

In the Moroccan capital Rabat, Fatima no longer buys onions and tomatoes because they are too expensive. She gets artichokes to cook tagine instead. “The market is on fire,” said the mother of three.