Onion price in the national capital and the surrounding regions shot up to Rs 70 per kg and is likely to touch upwards of Rs 100 per kg in the coming week.
Although the price of the onion saw an uptick after the end of Navaratri celebrations which concerned consumers and vendors alike, the quality of the staple vegetable remains poor.
As per the government data, the maximum price of onions surged to Rs 70 per kg and this upward trend is likely to continue till December.
“The inflow of the onion is low resulting in high rates. Today the rates are Rs. 350 (per 5 Kg). Yesterday, it was Rs. 300. It was Rs. 200 before that. A week ago, rates were Rs. 200, Rs. 160 or Rs. 250 etc. The rates have gone up in the last week. The rates have risen due to a shortage in supply,” an onion vendor was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
#WATCH | Delhi: On high onion prices, an onion trader at Ghazipur vegetable market says, “The inflow of the onion is low resulting in high rates. Today the rates are Rs. 350 (per 5 Kg). Yesterday, it was Rs. 300. It was Rs. 200 before that. A week ago, rates were Rs. 200, Rs. 160… pic.twitter.com/xLVNDQwtGF— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2023
Not only in Delhi-NCR but onion prices hiked in other states as well including Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru sold onions at Rs 65-70 per kg, a Hindustan Times report said.
The Union consumer ministry ensured onion is being offloaded from the buffer stock in both wholesale and retail markets in states where there is an increase in prices. Since mid-August, about 1.7 lakh tonnes of buffer onion has been offloaded in 22 states at different locations.
“We have been offloading buffer onions since mid-August and we are stepping up the retail sale in order to check further rise in prices and provide relief to the consumers,” Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
On the rising price of onions, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said, “There is seasonality in the price of onions. Every year, the prices increase in the months of October and November because the stock of the Rabi crop, which comes in April, gradually reduces. The Kharif crop is about to arrive, and it is also the festival season, prices often increase during that period. But this time the government has a buffer stock of 5 lakh tonnes, out of which 1.5 lakh tonnes have already been released, and we are buying 2 lakh tonnes more for the buffer.”
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