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Onion becomes dearer
He said the Maharashtra brokers decide the price of onions on phone and threaten us not to sell at lower prices. A trader, who has more than 200 bags of onions since Thursday, could not sell it below Rs 24 per kg due to the orders given by the brokers, he said.
Vijayawada: After tomato, now it is the turn of onions which are almost doubled in one week in the city. Due to shortage in supply of onions from Maharashtra and restrictions being imposed by Maharashtra brokers on Vijayawada market.
Highlights:
- Last week, the price was between Rs 12 and Rs 15 per kg
- Now, onions are being sold between Rs 25 and Rs 30 in retail market
- Onion traders say the prices may increase further in the coming days due to shortage of supply from Maharashtra
Last week, the prices of onions were between Rs 12 and 15 in the retail market. Now, the price of kg onion touched Rs 25 to Rs 30 hitting the common man who are struggling to buy tomatoes which are between Rs 60 and Rs 70 per kg.Traders say the prices of onions would further increase in the coming days due to decline in supplies from Maharashtra.
About 100 Maharashtra onion brokers dictate the prices of onions in Vijayawada city.Onions arrive at Gollapudi market yard initially and later distributed to nearly 30 wholesale shops in the city. In the last one week, the prices of onions doubled due to decline in supply. Maharashtra brokers decide the supply and price. R Suresh, a wholesale trader, said: “If the local onion traders do not comply with the orders of the Maharashtra brokers, they will stop supplying onions to us.”
He said the Maharashtra brokers decide the price of onions on phone and threaten us not to sell at lower prices. A trader, who has more than 200 bags of onions since Thursday, could not sell it below Rs 24 per kg due to the orders given by the brokers, he said.
He further said the Maharashtra brokers are insisting to stop sales for a few more days and create artificial demand so that the prices would increase to Rs 35 a kg.Onions are not perishable and remain fresh for two months. Nearly 15 trucks of onions are imported by traders in Vijayawada city.
Due to Sravana masam, which is auspicious month for Hindus, many functions, marriages, house warming functions and other parties are taking place across the city. Consequently, demand for onions increased drastically.
Curiously, onions vanished from Rythu Bbazars in the city. Marketing department officials fix the prices of vegetables at Rythu Bazars. So, the traders don’t have choice to fix the prices. As the prices of onions are increasing drastically for the last one week, the sellers at Rythu Bazars stopped selling them.
N Ramana, a trader in Swarajya Maidan Rythu Bazar, says he can’t sell onions at a lower price than he had spent for purchasing. The officials are planning to ration the onions and ask the farmers to sell one or two kg to each customer. The officials have fixed Rs 18 per kg at Rythu Bazar and the price in open market per kg is Rs 25 to Rs 30. In this juncture, the farmers are not willing to buy and sell onions at Rythu Bazar.
Tomato prices are stable and continuing between Rs 60 and Rs 70 a kg for more than three weeks. Now, days are not far away when the common man must spend Rs 50 to Rs 60 to purchase a kg of onions.
By Md Ameen
