[zem]

as an indian, this bit was particularly fascinating:

> The bill was unpopular among traders, some of whom argued that onion shortages were not a crucial issue since they were used as a condiment rather than a staple food.

in india, onions are so vital a staple that the onion price is a major economic index. see https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/new... for instance.

[jpatokal]

Onions are pretty fundamental to Western cooking as well, but they're not a staple in the sense that people will starve if they're unavailable, the way potatoes or wheat are.

[ryan-allen]

I've always thought staples were the bulk of the energy content in cultures, i.e. rice, bread from wheat/corn/etc, potatoes. I checked anyway, there's a bunch more I hadn't considered!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staple_food

[ahazred8ta]

Yes, but when you get your vitamins from one main vegetable, it can be a public health problem if a moth eats the whole crop several years in a row. NIGERIA has been limping along since 2016.

#TomatoEbola

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/05/26/4795176...

[pkaye]

Its probably more that the traders are trying to find an argument to block the bill.