Garlic being sold at Rs 400/kg; onion reaches Rs 70-80/kg in Odisha

Along with the soaring vegetable prices, skyrocketing prices of onion and garlic across Odisha in the last few days have irked customers during the ongoing holy month of Kartik when the demand is comparatively less as compared to other months.

While the price of onion increased from Rs 60 last week to Rs 70-80 per kg, the price of garlic skyrocketed from Rs 250 to around Rs 400 per kg in retail market in the state. 

“Due to the price rise, the sales of onion and garlic have further gone down. As such, onion sales go down in Kartik, but the price rise has affected the sales further,” rued a vendor in Berhampur.

Local traders attributed the price surge to reduced supply from other states.

“As the fresh supply has not hit the market, the prices of onion and garlic have increased. As a result, small vendors are finding it difficult to maintain their business as customers are buying less quantity of onion and garlic due to the high price rise,” said a vendor at Chhatra Bazar in Cuttack.

In response, Food Suppliers Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said, “Onion is currently being sold at Rs 45 per kg even in Nashik. We don’t have production in Odisha and we are dependent on other states. Prices of onion and garlic have increased in Odisha as the prices are high outside the State. We have asked NAFED to sell onion at Rs 30 per kg in Odisha.”