Bhubaneswar: Despite the fall in onion prices, the bulb continues to bring tears as its market price remains almost double compared to prices in the corresponding period last year.
Onion which used to be sold in retail market for `30 a kilogram in August has fallen to `25-28 in September. However, its present price remains almost double the cost it commanded during the corresponding period (initial days of October) the previous fiscal.
The bulb which is sold for `26 in the retail markets of Bhubaneswar Wednesday; it was `13 during the initial days of October, 2016.
The current price of the kitchen essential is anywhere between `24 and `26 in Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Jeypore, Bhawanipatna and Keonjhar.
Meanwhile, the price of the tear-jerker which has remained firm for the past three months, has exposed the failure of the Centre as well as the state in regulating the market price of the essential kitchen commodities.
The Orissa government’s bid to sell onions through Maitree model fair price shops for `18 a kilogram did not impact much on the price mechanism.
Food Supply and Consumer Welfare (FSCW) Minister Surya Narayan Patro had assured in August the situation would normalise once fresh stocks reach the market. However, the prices have not declined so far.
Sources in the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department said onion prices have come down but in reality the fall is only by a rupee or two in the past 30 days.
Lack of adequate storage facilities and poor production in the state have forced onion traders to depend on markets outside the state, said a trader in the city.
While the FSCW officials remained silent on the issue, minister Patro remained out of bounds for comments.
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