Cuttack: There seems to be no respite for consumers who are grappling with the steep rise in the onion prices which touched Rs 100 per kg mark in several parts of Odisha last week. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain today stated that the ‘crisis situation’ cropped up due to bad weather conditions in Nashik which is the biggest producer of Onion.
At present, the landing cost of onion from Nashik is around Rs 80 per kg against the previous price of Rs 40-45 per kg. Earlier, 45 to 60 trucks of onions used to reach Cuttack and Bhubaneswar every day, but now we are only getting 5 to 6 trucks, the minister said.
The huge gap between demand and supply has contributed to the steep rise in onions prices not only in Odisha but also in several states across the country, said Swain.
“The prices of onion will stabilise only after fresh crops arrive by December last week or January first week,” said Swain.
According to Swain, the State government is taking steps to provide some respite to consumers and already onions are being sold at a subsidized price ranging between Rs 55 to Rs 75 per kg through its 291 fair price shops in the State.
“Our officials are constantly in touch with the Government of India. We have learnt that the Centre has placed orders to import onions from other countries as well. We are discussing with senior officials how much stock can Odisha get,” Swain added.