Onion crisis in Asia. “Nothing but to sit down and cry”

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“I had to tell my cook that I had no option other than to eat my meal without onions“-” The Indian Express “recalls the statement by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina Wazed during his visit to India in October 2019, when a similar crisis hit the region.

“I am asking India to inform us in advance, before making such a decision. After all, we are neighbors” – bonusesr she reminded the hosts. The price of the vegetable then increased 7.5 times to almost 300 (PLN 13) per kg. Currently, it costs four times more than on September 13 – 120 such (PLN 5.2) per kg.

Bangladeshi authorities ordered 11,000 in emergency mode. tons of vegetables incl. Turkey and China, and even Pakistan, with which relations are still strained since the 1971 war of liberation. The onion shipment, however, is expected to arrive in October.

The case is so serious that, according to the Dhaka Tribune, on Monday Bangladesh’s foreign ministry in a diplomatic note expressed its “deep concern” about the sudden ban. The ministry noted that the decision “undermines” the relationship between the two friendly countries.

“If there is an agreement between friendly countries to inform before making such a decision, you should follow it,” Prof. Lailafur Yasmin of the Department of International Relations, University of Dakka. “Otherwise, you can easily question the level of this friendship” – she emphasized.

In the editorial comment, the “Hindustan Times” warns that for Prime Minister Hasina Wazed, another mishap with an expensive onion may be politically painful. The opposition is also questioning the best relations with India in many years, in favor of a stronger shift towards China.

China is increasingly perceived by India’s neighbors, Nepal and Bangladesh – explains Suman Mandal, an expert from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. He reminds that for decades India has been involved in the internal politics of its economically weaker neighbors. Including, for example, the economic blockades of Nepal – he notes.

The ruling communists in Nepal more and more boldly allow China to invest in the country’s infrastructure, primarily in roads and hydroelectric power plants, which previously were almost exclusively the Indian domain.

Bangladesh in July this year. invited the Middle Kingdom to participate in 9 infrastructure projects worth USD 6.4 billion, including the expansion of the seaport. In 2019, according to government data, China was the country’s largest foreign investor, while India came eighth.

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