KURNOOL/VIJAYAWADA: After onion prices went through the roof last week, it seemed as if a crisis was inevitable. However, the fresh arrivals at the Kurnool Agriculture Market, the largest onion market in the State, has brought a much-needed sigh of relief. The prices are stabilising and are expected to cool down completely in the coming days.
“The onion prices have dropped by Rs 1,400 per quintal compared to the last week. Though arrivals at present are sluggish, we are expecting them to increase steadily in coming days,” said Govind, Kurnool Agriculture Market Yard secretary.
In the last week of October, the prices had shot up to Rs 5,500 per quintal, recording an increase of Rs 1,000 per quintal in a span of a week compared to the week before. Now, the bulb has touched Rs 4,100 per quintal. The retail market price, which almost touched Rs 80 per kg in north coastal districts, is now around Rs 60 per kg. However, the kitchen staple is being sold between Rs 40 and Rs 50 per kilo in Rythu Bazaars.
Speaking to TNIE, Agriculture Marketing department senior officials said that they are closely monitoring the situation and are regulating prices through a balancing act. “Onion prices are not uniform across the State. They are on higher side in the north coastal districts, while they are priced moderately in Kurnool region. Through Markfed, we are purchasing onions from wholesale markets such as in Kurnool and supplying them to markets where the prices are high due to disparity between demand and supply, thus regulating the price,” a senior officials explained.
KP Sreenivasulu, an onion trader in Kurnool, said that the bulbs are not being exported and arrivals from Maharashtra are increasing steadily. “The decreasing demand for onion on the account of less consumption during holy month of Karthik, the gap between demand and supply will narrow down,” he noted.
Late arrival of the monsoon and extensive damage to the harvested crop earlier in the year is responsible for the higher than usual onion prices. As per agriculture officials, the crop was cultivated in 30,000 hectares in the district, however, the produce in 20,000 hectares was damaged due to delayed monsoon, resulting in a sharp drop in production and rise in prices.