SAMBALPUR: After tomatoes, it is the turn of onion to bring tears to consumers as its price skyrocketed from `10 to `30 in the retail market in Sambalpur.
The consumers are at a loss to know the reason behind the sudden rise in price of onion from `10 to `30 in a fortnight with the State Government failing to contain the price despite tall claims by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Surya Narayan Patro. After a hue and cry, the Minister had claimed that the price of onion would come down after the consignment from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh reaches Odisha. But relief from onion tears seems far away.
Ironically, it was only a few months back that farmers were forced to resort to distress sale of onion after harvesting in Titlagarh sub-division of Balangir, known as Nashik of Odisha. Lack of storage facilities saw them dispose of onion to middlemen and traders at less than `5 per kg. To add to their woes, the Pack House to store onion, which was commissioned in Titlagarh by APICOL after a delay of more than two years, went dysfunctional damaging more than 100 tonnes of onion.
Despite the Minister’s claim, sources in wholesale hub in Khetrajpur said none from Food and Civil Supplies Department has visited them as yet to verify stock and check the sudden spurt in price of onion. They revealed that wholesalers have been supplying onion at `23 per kg and it is the retailers who have jacked up the price. Considering damage and other factors, retailer can make profit even if they sell it at `26. With prices of onion rising in Nashik and Karnataka, they have little option and denied that prices of such perishable commodities can be hiked by hoarding it.
Contacted, Civil Supplies Officer Pitambar Acharya said the Market Intelligence Officer (MIO) besides other officials have been engaged to maintain the retail price of onion after monitoring purchase price and stock. He said onion reaching Sambalpur from Andhra Pradesh is not of good quality and is being sold at `24 per kg.