Food and politics have always been closely intertwined in the developing countries of South Asia, but when national taste buds are at stake the relationship can become especially volatile.
Shortage of onions in India, a dearth of coconuts in Sri Lanka and the soaring price of tomato in Pakistan are currently posing a serious challenge to the governments of all three countries.
Nobody’s going to starve because of an onion and tomato shortage, but their food is either going to taste different or it’s going to cost them more to keep it tasting the same – and that makes a lot of people unhappy.
Onions are considered an indispensable ingredient of most Indian and Pakistani cooking, providing – together with garlic and ginger – the pungent foundation for a thousand different curries and other dishes.
The current “onion crisis” in India has seen prices triple to nearly 80 to 85 rupees per kg, triggering allegations of hoarding, official incompetence and price-ramping by traders.
The humble onion has a surprisingly weighty track record of political influence.
In January 1980, Indira Gandhi exploited rising onion prices to storm back to power, appearing at campaign rallies waving huge strings of them with the message that a government that can’t control onion costs has no right to govern.
And in 1998, a six-fold surge in the cost of onions was held partly responsible for the electoral defeat of the ruling Delhi state government.
Already under pressure over food inflation and wary of historical precedent, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has stepped in forcefully, banning onion exports, scrapping import taxes and even trucking in onions from Pakistan.
Last week, Pakistan imposed ban on onion export via land route so as to control the prices of the commodity at local market. The shortage of onion has come to symbolise high food prices in Asia’s third-largest economy. Owing to this India started crying for relief.
Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma demanded of the Pakistani authorities to allow trucks of onions bound for India at the Wagah border prior to ban on the export of commodity.
The Indian Minister said it is shocking and unfortunate that Pakistan has banned onion exports to India via land route.
He added that India High Commissioner in Pakistan had been directed to raise the issue with Pakistani authorities.
India is trying to persuade Pakistan to resume export of onions, the Indian foreign minister said.
“We have initiated talks and before not too long we are hopeful we will find a solution to this easing pressure within our country for onions.” S. M. Krishna told a press conference in New Delhi.
India’s food inflation rose for the fifth straight week to the highest in more than a year this week, reinforcing fears it has spilt over to broader prices and cementing expectations of a January interest rate hike. But the spurt in prices of many basic foodstuffs has also raised questions over the government’s ability to control price rises through monetary policy, with poor infrastructure, hoarding and supply bottlenecks contributing to stubbornly-high food inflation.
Now the question is that if a simple land route ban on just onion to India bring it on dialogue the table than why Pakistan not taking some bold steps to bow India for resolving all major issues including the core issue of Kashmir, Indian involvement in Balochistan, water dispute and other issue.
Therefore, government of Pakistan should prioritize the issues and bring the India authorities at the table for composite dialogue.
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