New Delhi, November 5: Onion prices in several states across the nation skyrocketed in the past few days due to the shortage of supply of the kitchen staple. Some states including Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab have been worst-hit with onions being sold at a retail price of Rs 80-90 per kilogram. The hike in onion price on a daily basis has become a vital concern for people across the nation as the supply has been badly hit due to unseasonal rains. On Monday, onion prices jumped by 10 percent to trade at the Lasalgaon market, which is India's largest wholesale market for onions. The onion rates recorded a four-year high of Rs 55.50 a kg in the Lasalgaon market in Maharashtra's Nashik.

According to a report by TOI, the price shot up by Rs 650 on Monday to touch Rs 5,551 per quintal at the Lasalgaon APMC market. The report added that the price is expected to rise in the next two to three days and it could even touch Rs 6,000 per quintal. Onion Prices Shoot Up in Maharashtra; State Faces 70% Shortage as New Onion Crops Damaged.

Onion is currently trading between Rs 70 and Rs 80 in retail markets across the country. In some states, the price is inching closer to Rs 100-mark with traders blaming heavy rainfall in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh for their spike in prices. As it is a key kitchen staple, consumers are forced to purchase it in spite of high prices. Reports inform that the total onion arrivals in Lasalgaon mandi in Maharashtra's Nashik fell to a mere 20 tonnes, the lowest in several years, on Saturday.

Onion Prices in Uttar Pradesh

The prices of onions in the market reached Rs 70-80 per kg. A vegetable vendor was quoted by ANI saying that the prices of onions have increased to Rs 70-80 per kg from Rs 40-50 per kg following recent rains that damaged the crop. The vendor said that prices may come down after 10-15 days.

Onion Prices in Maharashtra

Onion farmers in Pune districts, Nashik and Ahmednagar have been badly affected due to unseasonal rains. The prices of onions have shot up due to the unseasonal rains in parts of Maharashtra including Pune, Satara, Nashik, Jalgaon, Pune, Solapur and Ahmednagar. The supply has been hit due to erratic showers brought by  Cyclone Maha, particularly in the onion growing belt.

In some parts of the state, the price of onion touched Rs 80 to Rs 90 per kg while in several areas, the prices inched closer to Rs 100-mark for one kg. The retail prices of onion have gone up to Rs 90 to Rs 100 per kg, retail, due to unseasonal rain in Maharashtra. In August and September, the price of onion in Pune had touched Rs 80 per kg.

Onion Prices in Odisha

The price of onion has hit Rs 70 for one kg in Odisha. The state is facing a price hike due to a decline in the import of the onions from other states. Odisha doesn’t produce sufficient onion and imports it from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, (Nashik) and some other states to full fill requirements of the state. Onion is imported from other states in Odisha but the state government has failed to set up more cold storage.

Onion Prices in Chandigarh

The price of onion skyrocketed, leaving consumers teary-eyed. The price shot up to Rs 60-70 per kg in some parts. A vendor was quoted by ANI saying that there is a supply crunch as rains have destroyed the crop. He said the hike in onion prices may take around a month to return to normalcy due to shortage.

Jaydatta Holkar, chairman, APMC Lasalgaon was quoted by Business Standard saying that rain during October and November has resulted in widespread damage of the standing Kharif crop. Holkar added saying that due to the unseasonal rain, arrivals of early variety onion sown in southern states were damaged. Due to this, a new variety of onion, which was supposed to hit mandis in the second fortnight of October, is no longer available, leading to the surge in price.

In August and September, the price of onion worried customers as the retail price neared Rs 100 per kg in most states. The supply was hit due to torrential rains during monsoon and crop damage in the main onion growing zones in Maharashtra. In the wake of the surge in onion prices, the Centre had imposed a minimum export price of USD 85 per metric ton in October to curb onion exports and bring down the prices of onions in the domestic market.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2019 03:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).