BENGALURU: Don’t be surprised if the Onion Dosa or Onion Pakoda is not on the menu, or if the prices have gone up, at your favourite Darshini. For the first time in six years, the retail price of onions in the state has breached the Rs 120 per kg mark, leaving consumers in shock and forcing hoteliers to look for alternatives.
“The increase in onion prices has been so high this time that we have no option but to either stop providing some of the dishes like onion dosa and onion chutney or cut down on its use in many dishes,” said Subramanya Holla, Secretary of Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association.
According to officials at the APMC yard in Yeshwantpur, the wholesale price of onion is Rs 90 per kg while it is selling at Rs 110-120 in the retail market.
Dishes containing onion have either gone off the menu or become costlier in major cities. Veerendra N Kamat, who is part of the Kamat Group of Hotels and treasurer of Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association, said, “We have no option but to compromise on use of onions in some dishes but can’t stop using it in North Indian dishes. We have not stopped Onion Dosa, but have stopped Onion Chutney and have increased the price by 10%.
“In areas like Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Commercial Street, MG Road and Ulsoor, the price has touched Rs 120 while in areas like Vijayanagar, Rajajinagar, Rajarajeshwarinagar, etc., it is Rs 100 at retail outlets,” said Uday Kumar, a onion trader at the APMC yard.
For the past three months, onion prices in both the wholesale and retail markets have been steadily rising. It touched the Rs 100 mark early this week and was Rs 120 on Thursday. This has been the case in most parts of Karnataka. In Mangaluru, while the wholesale price is Rs 60 per kg, the retail price is Rs 100. In Tumakuru, which is about 70 km, from Bengaluru, the wholesale price of onion is Rs 90 while the retail price has touched Rs 100.
“We have stopped making dishes with onions at home. The price is too much. Also, the onions which are available are not of good quality. They looks good from the outside but are really bad within. I got only six pieces for one kg and of those, three were bad,” lamented Sarika Raju, a resident of Jayanagar 9th Block.
While residents are fretting over the quality of onions, farmers are saying they are getting very less for their yield.
“Onion prices may be high in retail outlets, but we are hardly getting about Rs 20 or so per kg. We are not earning any money. It is all the middlemen who are taking the money and the retailers sell at high prices. Our own relatives in the city are paying four to five times the price we are selling to the market,” said Rangappa, a farmer from Chitradurga.
However, Sharath Saxena, a retailer said, “When we buy it at Rs 90 per kg in the wholesale market, we need at least Rs 20-30 extra to cover the cost of labour, wastage, commission etc.”
| Cities | Wholesale | Retail |
| Bengaluru | Rs 95 | Rs 120 |
| Mangaluru | Rs 60 | Rs 100 |
| Tumkuru | Rs 85 | Rs 110 |
| Koppal | Rs 45 | Rs 60 |
| Ballari | Rs 80 | Rs 100 |
| Kalaburagi | Rs 50 | Rs 75 |
| Gadag | Rs 80 | Rs 100 |
| Karwar | Rs 85 | Rs 100 |
| Shivamogga | Rs 100 | Rs 120 |
| Kolar | Rs 75 | Rs 100 |