Shivamogga: A series of festivals are coming from next month. The price of onion is likely to reach Rs 100 per kg by the time of Gauri-Ganesh festival next month. The price of onion in the wholesale market has increased from Rs 25 to Rs 50 per kg, and is currently being sold for around Rs 65 in the retail market.
Although the central government has taken several measures to control onion prices, they do not seem to have had the expected effect.
Speaking to The New Indian Express correspondent, wholesale onion trader Manohar Gowda said that the quantity of onion purchased by the central government is not enough to meet the demand of the public.
The quantity purchased is very low. Due to lack of rain, the possibility of new onions coming to the market from the major onion growing areas of the state is low. Therefore, he said that the price is likely to increase further by the time of Gauri-Ganesh festival.
Gowda said that the yield has also fallen due to excessive rain in some onion growing areas of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.
Onions are grown in parts of Gadag, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Chitradurga and Chikmagalur districts in Karnataka. However, due to the lack of rain during this monsoon season, farmers have not been able to grow onions in normal quantities.
Since onion is a rain-dependent crop, the lack of rain has caused hardship to farmers.
Another wholesale onion trader, Ramu, told TNIE, “We buy onions from Nashik and other parts of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra. Due to the lack of rain, onion production has come down. We expect new onions to arrive in the market by mid-October. Till then, the supply from Maharashtra is less, so the prices are likely to increase.”
Meanwhile, the increase in diesel prices has increased the transportation cost of many essential items including rice, sugar, jaggery, cooking oil and pulses. This is also affecting the prices of food in restaurants.
The prices of popular dishes made using onions, including onion dosa, panipuri, masala puri, are also likely to increase in the coming days.