BHUBANESWAR: With onion prices shooting through the roof, the state government on Thursday asked district collectors to keep a close watch on the markets and ensure that the consumers get the essential item at a reasonable price. While the price of potato has remained stable at Rs 35 a kg for the last few weeks, the government is concerned about the spiralling prices of onion that is selling at Rs 80 per kg. Writing to district collectors, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Secretary VV Yadav said, “The rising trend of onion price is a concern as it is affecting the common man.”
Attributing the rising cost of onion to crop loss in major producing states, Yadav said this is a national phenomenon and Odisha being a consuming state is equally hit by the unusually high cost of the bulb. Apprehending that unscrupulous traders may resort to hoarding with a high profiteering motive, he asked the district collectors to monitor the situation and take steps to prevent malpractice.
“Utilise the services of the field functionaries (of FS&CW department) for inspection of both wholesale and retail business premises of traders on a regular basis and ensure the availability of onion at reasonable price to the consumers,” the letter said.
The state is getting a normal supply of onion despite high prices and production loss at source markets. Capital city Bhubaneswar is getting a supply of around 200 tonnes of onion on a daily basis, said general secretary of Kuberpuri Byabasayee Sangha, Shakti Sankar Mishra. “But, supply from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore in Karnataka has come down due to heavy crop loss in the two southern states. Now the pressure is on the Nashik market, the major supplier of the edible bulb to many states,” Mishra said.
He said the Nashik price of onion is in the range of Rs 62-64 a kg which is sold at Rs 70 a kg in the Aiginia wholesale market. The price of onion will remain high till the arrival of the new crops in the markets after Diwali. Since large parts of the country are experiencing unseasonal rains, there is, however, a big question mark on the production.