Hence, and as stated in this Live Mint report, onion prices are expected to remain painfully high till October.
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Onion price at Lasalgaon in Maharashtra – Asia’s biggest wholesale market for onions – on Saturday climbed to Rs 57 per kg, which could bump up retail prices in the national capital and other parts of the country.
In spite of several government measures, the prices of the key kitchen staple have risen unabated both in the wholesale and retail markets in the last few weeks due to tight supply following shortfall in domestic output.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, Commerce Secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon said the ministry had been monitoring the market to prevent hoarding since the Indian MEP came into effect.
In a dig at AAP government in Delhi, BJP today criticised it for not issuing even a single ad to inform people about the sale of subsidised onioins despite having budgeted Rs 526 crore for advertisements. As per the database of National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation, 2,000 quintals of onions arrived at the Lasalgaon market and the modal price was Rs 5,700 per quintal on Saturday.
Shankar Prasad, a resident of sector 34, said, “The onion rate hike is burning a hole in everyone’s pocket. Prices are rising because there is limited supply of onion in mandis”. In Delhi retail prices shot up to Rs 75-80/kg and in Mumbai to Rs 65/ kg.
The retail prices have risen, taking robust cues from the Azadpur wholesale mandi, the place onions can be found at as excessive as Rs forty eight per kg at present.
To intervene in the market, SFAC and NAFED have procured 5857 MT of onions, the release said.
India produced 18.9 million tonnes (mt) of onion in 2014-15, lower than the 19.4 mt produced in the previous year.
“Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal states are notified the stock limits for traders to store onion at any given point of time”, according to the consumer affairs department sources.
“Besides, the harvesting of onion has got delayed in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh”, he added. In Shalimar Bagh and Ramesh Nagar, the price is Rs 70 and Rs 60 respectively for the same quantity. 39 per kg and this would last through the Onam week.
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Onion prices are hardening due to the fall in production and sluggish supply of stored onions, which are meant for meeting demand during the lean July-September.
