As the price of onions continues to soar, the number of applications for hometown tax donations, in which onions are given as return gifts, is rapidly increasing in Kitami City, Hokkaido, which produces the largest amount of onions in Japan.
According to Kitami City, the number of hometown tax donations that used special onions as return gifts was 14,531 from February to the middle of last month, about 19 times the same period last year.
The gift is set at the level before the price of onions soared, and on major portal sites, gifts such as receiving 10 kg of large size onions for a donation of 5,500 yen are gaining popularity. is.
Tetsuya Kimura, Chief of the Kitami City Regional Development Division, who is in charge of the Furusato Nozei, said, "We are proud to be the number one producer of onions in Japan, and we are proud to sell them all over the country. It attracted a lot of attention, and we received a lot of applications. I am happy to receive it," he said.
Many of the farmers who produce gifts will start harvesting onions next month and shipping them all over the country.
Producer Naoya Nobuta said, "I hope that the price will be reasonable and that both consumers and producers will be in good shape," as fertilizer and fuel prices are rising. I'm here.
The reason for the soaring price of onions
The background to the continued soaring price of onions is that the yield of onions in major domestic production areas decreased last year, and the price of foreign onions is rising due to the effects of the new corona.
According to Hokuren, a producer group in Hokkaido, in Hokkaido, which produces more than 50% of the domestic onion, the harvest amount fell to about 70% last year due to the effects of drought.
In addition, the harvest of onions from Hyogo and Saga prefectures, which will be available from around April when shipments from Hokkaido end, has decreased compared to the average year.
In addition, the import price of onions from overseas has risen as it has become difficult to secure a labor force due to the impact of the new coronavirus, and production has declined.
Due to these factors, the price of onions is soaring, and the wholesale price at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market averaged 234 yen per kilogram in June this year, about 2.5 times higher than last year, and about 1.7 times last month. The high price of 176 yen continues.
Regarding the future price of onions, the wholesale company of the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market expects that this year's Hokkaido onions will be harvested at the same level as in an average year, so from next month when Hokkaido products begin to be distributed, they will settle down to the same level as usual. I think it's a forecast.
At supermarkets, prices are more than 1.3 times higher than usual
On the 17th, Hokkaido-produced onions were sold for 68 yen each at a supermarket in Sapporo.
In the average year, the price is about 50 yen per piece at this time of year, so the price is more than 1.3 times higher this year.
Consumers have voiced concerns about the impact of this ingredient, which is often used at home.
A woman in her 70s from Nishi-ku, Sapporo, who came shopping said, ``I use onions for everything, including stew, curry and rice, and sukiyaki. I want you to be," he said.
A woman in her 80s from Nishi-ku, Sapporo, who usually eats onions a lot, said, "Onions are indispensable. I always add them to my curry and rice. I would like to buy it and eat it carefully," he said.
This supermarket is working to deliver onions to consumers as cheaply as possible, such as offering 1.2 kg of non-standard onions in a bag for 300 yen, such as those with irregular shapes.
A manager in charge of agricultural products at a supermarket said, "Prices have risen more than usual, and customers are complaining that they are too expensive. We are trying to devise sales methods, such as selling in bulk and handling non-standard products. I am."
20Kg of onions for roux every day At the curry shop
Curry restaurants in Sapporo, which are popular for their roux made by simmering onions over low heat for a long time, use 20 kilograms of onions every day.
As a result, we were greatly affected by the soaring price of onions, and in June this year we decided to raise the price of curry by 50 yen.
In addition, they are devising ways to increase profits by providing curry to pork cutlet restaurants that serve cutlet curry for a limited time.
Aoko Fujii, the representative of "Curry House Colombo" said, "I'm surprised. The purchase price is twice to three times higher than usual, but since it's a roux that mainly consists of onions, I can't change the amount of onions. I didn't want to, but I had no choice but to raise the price. I hope I can somehow overcome this difficult situation."