On March 30, Changsha netizen "Zi Zi Di" expressed his sadness on his blog: "Yesterday's green onions sold for 20 yuan per catty, and today there was another heavy snow, and they sold for 40 yuan per catty. In some supermarkets, You can't buy it at all. Pork is only 16 yuan per pound..." Since green onions came on the market in November last year, the price of green onions across the country has increased at an unprecedented rate, and the price of green onions has become a hot topic among the public. "If you go to a rice noodle shop to eat rice noodles in the morning, if you add chopped green onions, it will cost you 50 cents more per spoonful," said netizen Xiao Dong Guagua. In November 2006, the national average retail price of green onions was only 0.8 yuan per kilogram. Compared with the same period in 2006 and 2007, the retail price of green onions has increased by 20 times. A few days ago, the exclusive reporter of "Zhengzhou Evening News" rushed to Zhangqiu City, Jinan, Shandong Province, the "hometown of Chinese green onions", to conduct an investigation and solve the mystery of the sky-high price of green onions. Green onions have become a popular aristocratic dish. Green onions, which were originally sold at low prices, have now become a "noble dish", eliminating the snow disaster in the south that affects vegetable prices. An account recorded by Ms. Yang, a citizen of Zhengzhou, also reflects this fact. Since November 2007, green onions have been on the market with a "high profile". The retail price in Zhengzhou started from more than 1 yuan and reached a maximum of 6 yuan in less than two months, an increase of more than 500%. "You can't buy good onions yet. They are almost all local onions from Henan. Shandong onions sell at least seven or eight times faster in supermarkets. I haven't seen them a few times." At the Zhutun Farmers Market on Nongong West Road in Zhengzhou City, where vegetable prices are relatively low. , Mr. Xu, a vegetable vendor from eastern Henan, said, "The lowest price is 4 yuan. Local green onions from Henan are produced in Guangwu. Because the output was small due to the disaster, our wholesale prices are very high. Before November 2007, we had been selling green onions from Shandong. But I have been afraid to buy green onions since they came on the market in 2007. The purchase price is too high, and there is a shortage of green onions in Shandong.” On February 24, 2008, the price of green onions in Zhengzhou’s vegetable market was as low as 8 yuan per kilogram. In November 2006, when green onions were launched on the market, the national average retail price was only 0.8 yuan per kilogram. Compared with the same period in 2006 and 2007, the retail price of green onions increased by up to 20 times. Due to the decreasing supply volume. Buyers from all over the world are trying their best to find high-quality and cheap sources of green onions. Many vegetable wholesalers have posted purchase notices online, looking for green onions across the country, and are rushing to buy them regardless of distance. "Although prices have been increased step by step, the bulk of the green onions are still sold at the price of the onion farmers in the production area, which has caused the retail price to go up. Although the price of green onions is high, our profit here is not obvious." Bai Anqi, a wholesaler in Liuzhuang, Zhengzhou explain. The Hometown of the Onion King is out of stock. "Green onions are pungent and slightly warm in nature. They have the functions of releasing yang, detoxifying and seasoning. They can relieve abdominal pain and dysentery and diarrhea." According to ancient records about green onions, green onions not only have strong medicinal value , and rich in nutrients. But they are basically used for daily seasoning. What causes the price of green onions to rise at a sky-high rate and become a hot commodity? A few days ago, the reporter went to Zhangqiu City, Jinan, Shandong Province. Zhangqiu is one of the main producing areas of green onions in the country. Since the Ming Dynasty, green onion cultivation has been very common. It is known as the "King of Onions" in our country. In July 1999, the trademark "Zhangqiu Green Onion" was registered and became the first certification of origin trademark for vegetables in China. Today, the area has more than 100,000 acres of green onion planting land. The Zhangqiu Green Onion Wholesale Market located on Zaoyuan Street is one of the largest professional green onion wholesale markets in Shandong. At about 10 a.m. on February 22, a large green onion sculpture stood majestically in front of the wholesale market. The wholesale market was deserted, with nothing under the three greenhouses and not a single green leaf on the ground. The doors of the green onion transportation office, market management office, logistics company and other units in the market are closed. "This place has stopped operating a long time ago. Now, all the wholesale markets are deserted." A nearby villager said, "The green onions are out of stock. They were all out of stock before the year." "Where can I buy green onions?" "Zhang The onions in Qiu are almost sold out. If you want to buy them, you have to see who has saved some for yourself. "A taxi driver in Zhangqiu City said, "You said it was normal for onions in other places to be expensive. Locals still have to pay five yuan per catty to buy green onions. Things are going well this year, and green onions are easy to sell. Now among the ten vegetable stalls, you may not be able to find one selling green onions. If you want to wholesale a large cart, there is no such thing.” Before November 2007, Aunt Wang Huiyun of Mingshan Village, Zaoyuan Town, Zhangqiu City was very sad. A month of continuous rainy days ruined a good harvest of green onions. Wang Huiyun originally had no hope because the price of onions in 2006 was too low. Even though it was a bumper harvest, he didn't make any money.

This year, all eight acres of my family’s land were planted with green onions. This flood caused nearly half of the green onions to rot in the ground. Wang Huiyun originally thought this was a loss-making business, but when she thought of the hard work of growing onions, she felt that it would be even more miserable than the lowest point in history in 2006. On the morning of February 23, 2008, Wang Huiyun was smiling broadly and setting up his vegetable stall in the Jinsi Market in Zaoyuan Town. Hearing about the reporter's visit, he took out several bundles of plump green onions. These are currently the only bundles of green onions in the farmer's market of the village where green onions are produced. "What I sell are all wholesale vegetables. Only the green onions are grown by our family. Girl, these are the best green onions stored at home. There are only so many. You said they are expensive outside. If you want it, "If I don't make money from you, I'll give you 4 yuan per catty." Last November, before they could finish harvesting the onions, dealers and buyers from all over the country came to Wang Huiyun's farm, "Buy onions!" 8 Mu of green onions were sold out in more than 20 days. Wang Huiyun was confused. He had been an onion farmer all his life and had never made so much money at one time. "More profitable than a bumper harvest!" In 2006, one acre of Wang Huiyun's land had about 8,000 kilograms of onions, which could be sold for less than 3,000 yuan, and her total income from the 8 acres of land was less than 20,000 yuan. In 2007, her one-acre land production dropped to 5,000 yuan. A thousand catties, but the price of green onions reaches 10,000 yuan, and the income from 8 acres of land is more than 80,000 yuan. The green onion trade a year ago gave her a clue. "Now that I have enough money to give my son a wife, I don't have to worry about it anymore." She is also planning to renovate her dilapidated house in two months. She said, "Everyone who didn't plant onions last year regretted it." From historical lows to new highs Wang Yunlei, deputy director of the Zhangqiu Agricultural Bureau Office, explained the reasons for this situation. "This is the first time in history. The onions were harvested in November and basically sold out by the end of December. This is almost a miracle!" It turns out that this year's high onion prices have historical roots. The green onion harvest season in November 2006 presented a bumper harvest that was rare in many years. However, unexpectedly, the abundant output caused the price of green onions to fall to the lowest point in history in recent years. "The average price is one or two cents per catty, or even a few cents." After working hard for a whole year, the onion farmers can hardly make any money without the cost of fertilizer, labor and other costs. "After reluctantly accepting the embarrassment of "high yield but no money", onion farmers began to think of other ways out. After the onions were sold out in 2006, some traditional onion farmers continued to grow onions, and some switched to other onion farmers. Vegetables. This move reduced the green onion planting area in Zhangqiu by more than 30,000 acres. This move by the onion farmers in the "Hometown of the Onion King" represented the attitude of onion farmers across the country and directly led to a large number of green onion planting areas in the country in 2007. Reduction. In the four major onion-producing towns in Zhangqiu, the original 120,000 acres of green onion land was reduced to 80,000 acres. In addition to the large-scale production reduction, “in the autumn of 2007, an important season for the growth and development of green onions, severe floods occurred in Shandong. Continuous rainy weather has caused many green onions that have been artificially reduced to rot in the ground. As a result, green onion production has been reduced by at least one-third. Finally, a strange scene appeared. There was no need for green onion dealers or middlemen. Wholesalers from all over the country contacted through agricultural cooperatives and drove directly to the green onion fields. They were vying to get the green onions before they were finished. The order is waiting for the onion farmer to collect it and then load it into a truck and take it away. Wang Yunlei said, “The production price collected directly from the field is about two yuan per catty for average-quality green onions. Pollution-free, organic green onions, etc., after simple packaging, can be sold from the field for six yuan per catty without any bargaining. "This caused a jump from the lowest point at the end of 2006 to the highest point at the end of 2007. The shortage triggered a chain reaction. The price of green onions hit a record high this year, and it was also the year when the green onion industry pattern was disrupted. On the afternoon of February 23, Mr. Zhang, an onion farmer from Xiuhui Town, a large onion-producing township in Zhangqiu City, said that in previous years, onion farmers were accustomed to "hoarding and selling" and would stock up on part of the onions during harvest. The amount of onions stocked could reach up to half of the output. If they are sold after the Spring Festival next year, the price will be slightly higher than during the harvest season, and they can be sold until around Qingming Festival, basically keeping the vegetable market from running out of onions. But after the green onions were harvested this time, the price was so high that the onion farmers couldn't hide it. Except for keeping a small part for their own use, they sold everything that could be sold, which was contrary to the hoarding and sales model. According to the inventory statistics of several green onion associations in Zhangqiu City, the current inventory of green onion farmers in Shandong is almost "0", and out of stock has become an inevitable result. The problem of rising green onion prices is not only prominent in China, but has also affected countries such as Japan. Zhangqiu green onions are domestic export products mainly supplied to the Southeast Asian market. Under the situation of production reduction, the demand of the international buyer's market remains unchanged, and the quality requirements for green onions are strict. After the production reduction, high-quality white onions are busy filling the export gap, which aggravates the domestic supply. Scarcity.

"In the first half of 2007 alone, 36,512.5 tons of green onions were exported to foreign countries, and Japan demanded 25,000 tons. There is no statistics on the recent supply, but it should be similar to last year." Wang Yunlei said. The Zhangqiu City Agriculture Department revealed a vague fact: Shandong onion farmers no longer have onions in their hands. This has boosted the price of onions in other onion-producing areas across the country to skyrocket. In the past two weeks, in the vegetable wholesale markets in major cities across the country, even small onions with average quality can be sold at the same price as Shandong onions. Beijing Dayang Road Agricultural and Sideline Products Wholesale Market quoted on February 23: The wholesale price of high-quality green onions is 7 yuan per kilogram, and the average quality is 5 yuan, mainly Hebei green onions. At Zhengzhou Liuzhuang Vegetable Wholesale Market, only small local green onions are quoted at 4.6 yuan per kilogram. In addition, dealers are rushing to buy goods from near and far, as well as the snowstorm in the south, which has increased the transportation cost of green onions in many provinces, which is also the reason why the price of green onions has been rising. In Zhangqiu City, the reporter met Liu Zhiming, a dealer from Hunan. He said, “The source of the increase in the price of green onions is the increase in the production price of onion farmers. After the supply is out of stock, the fields cannot receive it. There should be some goods in Tianjin at present. We are now trying to get in touch, hoping most to buy more. It doesn’t matter if the transportation cost is high. As long as we can stock up on some goods and ship them out later, we can still make money.” Will the high price trend continue? During an interview in Xiuhui Town, a large onion-producing township in Zhangqiu City, villagers introduced it to reporters. "This year, those of us who have land have planted green onions again. However, it will take at least a few months before we can buy green onions outside." Onion farmers said that green onions need to go through two growth periods, and the green onions that end the first growth period are semi-finished products. , will only be available in May. This kind of green onion can also be eaten, but it is in the "underage" state of green onions. Adult green onions have to go through a second growth process similar to cuttings, and wait until they are fully grown in November. From 2006 to the present, the price of onions has gone from cheap to expensive, and the sales pattern has experienced two extreme states from slow sales to out-of-stock. The changes in supply and demand are most reflected in the onion prices in the past two years. Regarding the public concern about the price of green onions, the agricultural department believes that judging from the current enthusiasm of onion farmers represented by Zhangqiu to grow green onions, the planting area should increase this year, and the national output is expected to be better than last year. By then, the price of green onions may be cheaper. But at the same time, he revealed, “Now it depends on the stockpiles of onions in various places. However, no matter how you store them, the output of onions is not high, there will only be less and less on the market, and the price may still rise. The high price is expected to continue until the onion harvest in November this year. , at least until May, the semi-finished green onions will be ready. "Similarly, the price of our Henan green onions will not be too low, but the price will not be too high either.