Hyderabad, Jan. 12 -- From salads to stews, onions are a staple in almost every Filipino dish, but now this vegetable costs nearly three times as much as chicken in the Philippines, expats in theUAEare taking suitcases full of onions to their home country, local media reported.

Red and white onions sold for as much as 500 Philippine pesos (Rs 737) per kilogram on Wednesday, January 11, compared to 220 pesos (Rs 295) per kilogram for chicken.

Until Monday, January 9, red and white onions were being sold for as high as 600 Philippine pesos (Rs 885) per kilogram.

Filipino residents buy onions from the UAE at 1.50 Dirham (Rs 33) per kg to take on their next trip home.

Filipinos who recently returned home for the holidays say onions are th...