THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The soaring onion prices may have brought tears to people and trouble to politicians. However, the real villain in the vegetable market this year is garlic, whose price recorded the biggest jump – a whopping 237.38 per cent since January.
As per the data with the Department of Economics and Statistics, garlic prices registered the highest growth among 51 essential commodities that the department monitors on a daily basis. It was followed by onion whose prices registered a 180.41 per cent increase, while small onion prices rose by 47.23 per cent.
The state average prices of garlic, onion and small onion on Friday were Rs 219.30, Rs 72.71 and Rs 81.71 per kg, respectively.
The state-run Horticorp is taking measures to provide onions at affordable prices, said managing director J Sajeev. Horticorp supplies the Pune and Bengaluru varieties of onion. The present subsidised price for the two varieties are Rs 80 and Rs 70 per kg, respectively.
“The state government has asked NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) to provide onions to Horticorp under the price stabilisation programme. We will be able to sell onions at more affordable prices shortly. The open market prices of onions and small onions are expected to shoot up in the coming days owing to the crop damage due to unseasonal rain,” Sajeev said.
Rice prices going up
The upward trend in rice prices has surprised market experts. Two popular varieties, Jaya and Kurava, recorded this year’s highest prices in November, Rs 37.96 and Rs 36.29 per kg, respectively.
Sources in the Civil Supplies department said the upward trend could be a handiwork of wholesale traders. “This slow but steady rise is suspicious. There was no major crop damage, procurement or transportation issues. A probe is required to ascertain the reasons for the price rise and prevent escalation,” said a senior officer. Prices of other rice varieties like Matta and Andhra Vella have also skyrocketed in November to touch this year’s highest at Rs 40.39 and Rs 37.58per kg, respectively.