TIRUCHY : The price of shallots in the wholesale market, which had fallen from Rs 100 to Rs 70 per kilogram in the last week of September, has shot up to Rs 120 per kilogram. Consequently, the retail price has surged to Rs 140 per kg. Traders attribute the price rise to supply constraints due to rain, and said the current price may hold steady till Deepavali.
At Gandhi Market, the wholesale price of first quality shallots is Rs 120 per kilogram, while second quality and third quality shallots are priced at Rs 80 and Rs 40 respectively.
According to traders, the price of first quality shallots, which was around at Rs 40 a kg in the third week of August, rose to Rs 100 in the fourth week of September, owing to reduced arrival from Palladam (Tiruppur), Alanthurai (Coimbatore), Namakkal, Thuraiyur (Tiruchy) and Chettikulam (Perambalur).
With the onset of rain on October 15, arrival declined further, and pushed the prices higher, said A Thangaraj, secretary of Tiruchy Onion Commission Mandi Traders Association and district treasurer of Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu.
“Gandhi Market receives 300 tonnes of shallot daily, but the quantity has declined to 150 tonnes to 200 tonnes. If rain continues, prices will rise further as Deepavali festival is approaching.
Fortunately, the price of Bellary onion has remained stable at Rs 70 per kg. We hope the price of Bellary onions may not go beyond Rs 100 per kg,” he added.
Poor arrivals due to rain is the main reason for the price rise, an official from the horticulture department told TNIE. “Usually, 5 to 15 bags of shallots (each weighing 50 kg) used to arrive at the Uzhavar Santhai in Tennur, but the quantity has now declined to 5 to 7 bags per day. Considering the plight of consumers the price has been fixed at Rs 115 per kg,” the official said.
K Prakash, a resident of Thillai Nagar, lamented that the prices of all essential commodities had been skyrocketing. “We do not know how to cope with the rising prices of essential commodities,” he said.