Bhubaneswar: The continuous escalation of onion price is sure to bring tears into the eyes of the consumers this year and there is no respite from the price spiral at least till November.
The price of the kitchen staple has almost doubled in the past few weeks. Onions which used to be sold anywhere between `13 and `15 per kilogram, are available at around `28 to `30. The price has gone up by `4 per kg Sunday. If this trend continues, it would undoubtedly touch `40 per kg in a couple of days. Onions sold at `40 was one of the highest prices recorded in the past.
Just two months back, onion farmers in the state were distressed to sell their harvest for a pittance – `5 to `7 per kg – in the absence of storage facility, thanks to the apathy of the state government.
According to officials of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) department, the state government does not have a proper storage mechanism to preserve the bulb.
There is only one storage facility across the state under the government control which is at Kantabanji in Bolangir district. In fact, the state produces 2 lakh tonne onions per year while the demand for the kitchen essential is about 6 lakh MT. Consequently, the state is dependent on other states to meet its need, said FS&CW Minister Surya Narayan Patro.
“As the price of onions, which are sourced from the Nasik market in Maharashtra, has gone up, it impacts our markets too. We have asked the district level officials to monitor the market and curb hoarding. We sell the goods at fair price shops at ‘no gain- no loss’ basis,” Patro added.
General secretary of All Orissa Traders Association Sudhakar Panda said the wholesale price of onion in Nasik has gone up to Rs 2500 per quintal. “When the product reaches Orissa, it becomes `2600 per quintal. So, the retail price also goes up accordingly,” Panda said.
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