KURNOOL: With retail onion prices soaring past Rs 70 per kg, kitchen budgets across Andhra Pradesh have taken a severe beating, leaving consumers in literal tears over the sudden and relentless price hike.
The steep rise in onion prices has put an additional financial strain on middle and lower-income families, driven by nationwide supply deficits in the open market.
The sudden surge has been triggered by an unprecedented supply collapse at the Kurnool Agricultural Market Yard, the State’s primary government-regulated onion trade hub.
On Thursday, daily arrivals trickled down to a meagre 597 quintals, with top-grade stock fetching up to Rs 5,089 per quintal in wholesale auctions. The total arrivals at the Kurnool yard between September 1 and 17 stood at just 10,395 quintals. During the same period in 2025, the yard recorded 1,47,738 quintals, with maximum wholesale rates hovering at a manageable Rs 1,429 per quintal.
Behind this dramatic fall in market volume lies a severe agricultural setback caused by El Niño-driven weather conditions.
Prolonged dry spells and dwindling groundwater levels severely restricted Kharif sowing across the State’s traditional onion belts. In Kurnool district alone, onion cultivation plummeted to 11,000 hectares this season, down from 24,000 hectares last year.
State govt puts in place multi-pronged plan to address growing crisis
Neighbouring Kadapa district saw a similar contraction, with the cultivated area shrinking from 8,700 hectares to 5,450 hectares. Statewide onion acreage currently stands at just 20,150 hectares, compared to 36,600 hectares last year.
Farmers who managed to sow using borewell irrigation have reported yields dropping to barely 20% of normal levels, with poor rainfall resulting in smaller bulb size.
Compounding the State’s domestic deficit, traditional external suppliers like Maharashtra and Karnataka are grappling with similar climate-induced yield losses, choking off regular interstate inflows that usually balance local market spikes.
To address the growing crisis and protect consumers from open-market price gouging, the State government, under the direction of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has rolled out a multi-pronged intervention strategy.
To provide immediate relief, the administration has organised targeted sales of onions at a subsidised price ranging between Rs 32 and Rs 60 per kg through State-run Rythu Bazaars, mobile vans, and fair price outlets across urban centres.
Recognising the vulnerability of relying solely on traditional Rayalaseema belt, the Horticulture Department has drawn up plans to expand onion cultivation into non-traditional coastal and inland districts, including NTR, Krishna, Tirupati, Annamayya and Nandyal.
For the upcoming Rabi season, the State has set an ambitious production target of 3.20 lakh metric tonnes. To encourage participation, the administration is providing growers with subsidised seeds, modern farm machinery, and dedicated drought-mitigation funds to deploy life-saving micro-irrigation measures.
The Agriculture and Civil Supplies separtments have been tasked with monitoring supply chains through RSKs, preventing commercial hoarding. The administration aims to break the cycle of seasonal supply shocks and ensure that essential kitchen staples remain affordable for all consumers.