At Rs80/kg, onion prices hit the roof

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 1

The skyrocketing onion prices appear to be making residents cry. The sharp increase in the prices of onion here has forced homemakers and eateries to stop using in food preparation.

Onion is selling at exorbitant rates for the last one month owing to weather-induced supply disturbances. Now, it has disappeared from the common man’s dishes.

The middle class, already reeling under the burden of rising fuel prices, is finding it tough to buy onions priced at Rs 80 per kg with distributors saying that prices are not expected to go down over the next few weeks. Prices of other vegetables are also on the rise with the middle class restricting intake of many green items in their daily menu.

It is learnt that the produce from Punjab is not available as farmers would grow onions from January onwards. At present, the supply of onion is coming from two states — Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Deepti, a housewife, said, “The onion prices are touching sky high. The authorities should keep a check on hoarding. There may be some artificial shortage of stock as well.” Another housewife, Yuvika, says onion is an integral part of their cuisine. The high prices have caused us to use less onion.