The price of onion has begun to skyrocket in Odisha since the beginning of October with the rate of the indispensable kitchen staple increasing by Rs 15 to 20 in the last two days.
While the price of onion was Rs 35 in Bhubaneswar earlier this week, it has increased to Rs 45 to 50 today morning. Similarly, the kitchen essential is sold at Rs 40 in Cuttack, Balasore and Jeypore.
According to traders, short supply from other states has pushed the price up. In Nasik, heavy rain damaged godowns and caused extensive damage to onions. The price of onion has reportedly increased by Rs 2,400 per quintal in Nasik and its impact is affecting the markets in Odisha.
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Secretary of Chhatra Bazar Traders’ Association, Debendra Nath Sahu said, “Extremely heavy rainfall has affected onion farming in Nasik. The new crop is yet to arrive. Similarly, the crop was damaged in Kurnool of Andhra Pradesh due to heavy rainfall.”
“The demand of onion is high during festive season. As the import has been affected and demand has gone up, the rate has ultimately increased,” he added.
A vendor at Unit-4 market said, “The price is increasing as rain damaged crop in Nasik. We were selling onion at Rs 25 a kg and now the price hasgone up to Rs 40.”
“I own a hotel and usually buy about 10 kg of onions a day. As the price has increased suddenly, I have to manage with 2-3 kg of onions now,” said a customer.