KURNOOL/VIJAYAWADA: Common man is feeling the heat of financial stress once again as the price of one kilogram onion surged to Rs 80 this week from Rs 30-Rs 35 last week in the retail market. This comes just a few months after the prices of tomatoes began to cool down. It is expected that the price of onion will continue to rise and could reach Rs 100 per kg in the next few days.
High demand and low supply due to deficit rainfall is said to be the reason for the surge in prices of the essential commodity.Kurnool Agriculture Market Yard, one of the largest wholesale markets for onion in the State, has been recording a price hike after Dasara. One quintal of onions, which was priced at Rs 4,500 last week, is now being sold at Rs 5,500, recording an increase of Rs 1,000 per quintal in a span of one week.
“This is the first time this season that farmers have received such a high price for their produce. The price of one quintal onions may touch Rs 10,000 by next month as deficit rainfall has affected the yield,” officials explained. As per agriculture officials, the crop was cultivated in 30,000 hectares in the district. However, the crop in nearly 20,000 hectares was damaged due to weak monsoon, resulting in a sharp drop in production and rise in price.
A similar trend was observed last year as well when the price of one quintal onion touched Rs 16,000, a horticulture official pointed out. Besides Anantapur and Kadapa, onion is extensively cultivated in Kurnool. Farmers cultivated the crop in 30,000 hectares this kharif season as against 28,000 hectares last year. KP Srinivaslu, a trader in Kurnool agriculture market yard, said just 10-20 lorries of onions were arriving at the market yard as against 70 lorries. Usually, onions from the Kurnool market balance the demand-supply gap in the State. However, this time, that is not the case.
In Tadepalligudem, home to the State’s second largest onion market, the story is same.The cost of one kilogram onions in Vijayawada city has surged with the Maharashtra variety reaching Rs 80-Rs 90 in the retail market. Onions of a higher quality touched Rs 90 per kg at retail markets in Vijayawada, while prices in wholesale markets have reached Rs 75-Rs 80/ kg.
For the Kurnool variety of onions, the price stands at Rs 60-Rs 75 per kg in retail markets and Rs 50-Rs 60 per kg in wholesale markets. Due to a shortage of Kurnool variety onions, demand for the Maharashtra variety has increased.
Meanwhile, in Rythu Bazaars, one kilogram of Maharashtra and Kurnool-variety onions are being sold at subsidised prices of Rs 55 and Rs 45. Estate officer of Singh Nagar V Koteswara Rao said the markets do not have stock of Kurnool variety onions stock for the past month. He added the cost of one kg of Maharashtra-variety onions has risen from Rs 30 on October 9 to Rs 55 on Sunday. He pointed out though the Kurnool variety is expected to arrive at markets by this time, they have not.