"Onions" are indispensable for various dishes at home and in restaurants.



However, many people may feel that the price is high now.

In fact, it is said that the price has risen when interviewing supermarket stores.



We interviewed about the impact and background of the soaring onion prices.

Onion prices soar at supermarkets

At supermarkets in Wakayama city, each ball was sold for 99 yen without tax.



Usually, 3 coins are sold for about 100 yen, so the price is about 3 times higher.



From shoppers.



"It's certainly expensive, isn't it?"


"Onions are so easy to use that you may have trouble buying them."



According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the wholesale price of onions in Osaka City has been rising since the beginning of the year, and in late April. It was 347 yen per kilogram.

This is 4.3 times that of the same period last year.



Even as of the beginning of this month, the price was 240 yen per kilogram, which was 2.7 times that of last year, and the high level continues.

The background of the soaring prices

Behind the soaring prices of onions is the poor harvest in Hokkaido, which accounts for about 70% of the total shipments nationwide.



In the usual year, onions from Hokkaido are shipped while storing the harvested onions, so they go around from August and September to around spring.



From early spring, onions from Saga prefecture, which boasts the second largest shipment volume, and Hyogo prefecture, which is the third largest, will gradually be available in the form of replacing Hokkaido products.



However, due to the lack of rain last summer, the yield in Hokkaido decreased.



In addition, in Saga Prefecture, growth was delayed due to the drop in temperature in early spring, resulting in a nationwide shortage of onions.

Impact of soaring onion prices

Soaring onions are also affecting restaurants.



At Western restaurants in Ikeda City, Osaka, hamburgers made with plenty of onions from Awaji Island are gaining popularity.



At this store, we use about 100 kg of onions a month, mainly for large sizes, but the purchase price has increased 1.5 times in the last two months.



Also, because it is difficult to secure large-sized onions, there are times when you can buy small-sized onions to survive the emergency.



At the store, the amount of onions is not reduced and the price is maintained in order to satisfy customers, but it is said that the impact on management is not small.



Mr. Tadashi Yamashita, the owner of "Hamburg GOSOU", said, "Since we use a lot of onions for hamburgers, the taste will change if we reduce the amount, so we offer the onions as they are. I want you to return to the standard of. "

In one of the leading production areas in Japan

How do producers perceive soaring prices?



Hyogo Prefecture has the third largest shipment of onions in Japan.

Awaji Island occupies most of it, and the harvest is about to reach its peak.



Of these, a company that produces onions in Kamiyo, Minamiawaji City grows onions on a 9-hectare site.



Most of the onions we produce are sold directly to department stores and restaurants in Kansai as our own brand at a fixed price.



According to the company, the growth was delayed by about a month from the usual year due to the low rain and low temperature from December to February last year, but it has grown into a good quality onion.



It is said that this company is receiving a series of inquiries about new transactions, but as the supply of onions is declining nationwide, it is difficult to respond because it is busy shipping to existing customers.



On the other hand, with regard to prices, we are concerned about whether or not they can be maintained because expenses such as fertilizer and gasoline have risen and the business environment has become harsher.



Mr. Shun Sakoda, the representative director of the company, said, "I took a brand strategy because I wanted the price to stay the same, but with the prices rising, there is the issue of not having to raise the price. It is a farmer's wish to be able to maintain stable prices in order to increase shipments on Awaji Island without relying on Hokkaido. Farmers will also strive to deliver good food to the table. So I want you to eat a lot. "

What is the outlook for the future?

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the shipment volume of onions produced in Saga Prefecture has gradually returned to the same level as usual, and the shipment of onions produced in Hyogo Prefecture has begun, so prices will gradually settle down in the future. You can see it going.