Kolkata: Buyers in the markets are feeling the pinch with the prices of onions shooting up to Rs 40 a kg.
It was only a week back when onion, one of the prime component for chicken, mutton and fish preparations, was priced between Rs 25 to 30.
Onion wholesalers and dealers pointed out damage to one third of the crop at Nasik in Mahrashtra due to flood as the primary reason behind the price surge.
"The prices of onion has shot up due to decrease in the supply from Maharashtra. Earlier, 60 onion trucks used to come to the Sealdah market but now only 20 trucks are coming at the mandi," said Vishal, onion merchant at Sealdah's Koley market. Nasik supplies onions round the year to Bengal but in other states such as Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh the supply it provided for only for three months.
Last week, the cost of onion was hovering around Rs 25 to 30. However, the present price of onion shot up to
Rs 40 and above.
Onion dealers have hinted that the price of onion is expected to rise or will remain the same till Diwali.
Depending upon the quality, onion prices vary in the market. The retailers buy the onion sacks as per their requirement from the wholesalers. The cost of one sack (around 40 kilgrams) of onions has shot up from Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,500. "We are selling low quality onion at Rs 38. The regular quality onion is priced at Rs 40 and the high quality onion is priced is Rs 42 and above," said Ram Bharose, an onion vendor at Koley market.
He reiterated due to the rise in the price of onion the buyers are buying half of their required quantity.
"The rise in the prices of onions has affected our business. Earlier, the customers, who used to buy one kg of onion are now buying only half kg," Bharose said.
"The sky rocketing onion prices have hit our kitchen. Onion is the main ingredient for our food," Rehana Hossain, a home maker.