The government predicted that the price will continue to remain high till December when the kharif crop will be available in market.
Onion prices in Delhi and national capital region shot up touching ₹70 to 60 per kilogram as opposed to the price of staple vegetable that are being sold at ₹30 to 50 per kilogram. The price of onion is likely to touch ₹100 per kilogram by November first week.
Onion price making a sudden uptick after the end of Navaratri celebrations raised eyebrows of both consumers and vendors. According to government data, the maximum price of onions has surged to around ₹70 per kilogram. 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 told ANI.
Likewise, onion prices have spiked in other states including Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru sold onions at ₹65-70 per kilogram.
The Union consumer ministry said the onion is being offloaded from the buffer stock in both wholesale and retail markets in states where there is a sharp rise in prices. Since mid-August, about 1.7 lakh tonne 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 told PTI.
The price is projected to remain on the higher side next month followed with a cooling down in December.
