Malaysians miss Indian onions, Chinese garlic

Shortage of onions in India has hit Malaysia too. Red onions imported from India are preferred by people in this country due to its spicier taste, a media report said. The import of red onions from India and garlic from China has been affected due to a shortage in supply in these countries. 'Malaysians like Indian red onions because these have a spicier taste. However, because of the floods (in India), there has been a shortage in supply and a lot of the stock we received was also damaged,' Yee Kam Ming, general manager of Sunshine Wholesale Market in George Town, Penang state, was quoted as saying by The Star Saturday.
Since early December, some supermarkets had resorted to importing onions from China to meet local demand. He said the prices of big red onions from India have doubled from nearly two ringgits per kg in the last few months while shallots now cost between three ringgits and 4.50 ringgits, up from two ringgits. Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants' Association of Malaysia president Lean Hing Chuan said erratic supply of these goods due to lower imports was one of the main reasons for the soaring prices. 'Big onions, which are imported from India, were two ringgits per kg before the floods began a few months ago. Now, the price is up to five ringgits,' he said. Garlic, which comes from China, has seen massive price increases over the last year, Lean said.
Flooding in India and bad weather in China over the last few months have caused prices of onions and garlics in the country to double. Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants' Association of Malaysia president Lean Hing Chuan said erratic supply of these goods due to lower imports was one of the main reasons for the soaring prices. "Big onions, which are imported from India, were RM2 per kilo before the floods began a few months ago. Now, the price is up to RM5," he said. Garlic, which came from China, had seen massive price increases over the last year, Lean said. "Early last year, garlic could have been bought for less than RM1 per kilo. "Because of bad weather and floods, the price raised steadily and finally hit an all-time high of around RM10 per kilo in October.