Orange County, NY is one of the few areas in the country where some growers earn their farm income exclusively from onion crops. The black soil there, which enriches onions with their characteristic pungent flavor and odor, is particularly well suited to the crop.

Despite the soil’s predisposition to onion cultivation, most of the area’s onion farmers have gone out of business in the past 15 years. While the price of running a farm has risen steadily, the price that growers earn for their onions has not.

Cheap imports have played a role in keeping American farmers from receiving a fair price for their onions. Total fresh onion imports have been increasing steadily since the 1990s. Between 1990 and 2006, edible onion imports have grown by 71 percent. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that they will increase by another 32 percent in 2007. In that overall context, imports of onions and other vegetables from Peru have been increasing under current trade agreements. Peru’s exports to the United States have skyrocketed from 365 thousand pounds in 1994 to 122 million pounds in 2006.  In 2007, Congress has been considering a Free Trade Agreement with Peru that would further open our doors to cheap imports and, as a result, could send onion prices plummeting. Indeed, in early November 2007, the House of Representatives voted to approve the free trade deal with Peru. The Senate is expected to approve the agreement, as well.

Even The Packer, a produce industry publication, has raised concerns about Peruvian onion imports. It reports that both Peru and Ecuador glutted the onion market this fall with higher-than-expected yields and have pushed prices down from the $21 to $22 range for a 40-pound carton to a range of $10 to $12. The change in the market has hurt farmers who had no way of knowing they would have to produce more than usual in order to earn a decent profit.

As imports have increased, U.S. onion acreage has dwindled. Between 1997 and 2002, the harvested dry onion acreage in New York State decreased by 16 percent. Orange County, the number of harvested farms and the number of harvested acres has decreased by almost 50 percent.

Consumers cannot always recognize this difference when they choose onions at the supermarket. Be a smart shopper and combat crops in crisis with your fork.

1. Buy smart – Purchase food that is produced on small, local farms rather than large industrial operations, and choose organic over conventional foods.
2. Be label savvy – Demand Country of Origin Labeling for food so you know where it comes from.
   
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