Onion prices soar, burn hole in pockets of middle class

Karimnagar: The soaring onion prices, with Rs 50 a kg, are not only bringing tears to common man, but also pushing them to do away with the vegetable. It may be recalled that when last year the onion prices touched the skies, the State government came forward and sold the onions at concessional rates through special counters, bringing relief to people.

Meanwhile, there seems to be no respite this time as traders themselves are backtracking on importing onions from Solapur and Nanded markets due to exorbitant price. The hike in onion price is attributed to low yield of the crop in Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The shortage in Nanded and Solapur markets and in Karimnagar is very high. The price, which was at Rs 18 a kg in September jumped to Rs 25 to Rs 30 a kg in October. By November, it further rose to Rs 50 a kg, burning a hole in the pockets of middleclass, whose 15 per cent salary is spent on vegetables.

With the Solapur market getting only 200-230 lorry loads of onions as against the regular 500 lorries, the wholesale dealers are forced to buy the produce at high prices thereby finally burdening the consumers. According to reports, some traders are accused of hoarding.

A wholesaler, Saleem, said onions prices were stable till a month ago. But traders supplying onions have jacked up prices forcing the retailers to increase the price. “It is hard time for retail customers. Compared to last month’s sales, onion sales nosedived this month. The markets from where we import onions are also facing the scarcity,” Saleem added.

A consumer, Swati, said her weekly expenditure on vegetables rose to Rs 400 with onions being trading at Rs 55 a kg. She bought buy only half a kg of onions instead of buying a kilo. “People have no option to stop use of onions in the recipes,” she rued. Another customer, Vijayalakshmi, echoed the same opinion. She urged the government to open outlets to sell the produce at concessional rates.