Assam: Onion Prices Skyrocket Again, Touches Rs. 70/kg

The price of onion has once again touched sky-rocketprice leaving customers teary-eyed with some states witnessing a retail priceof Rs. 90 per kg while in Assam it has gone up to Rs. 70 per kg.

While the prices of onions touched Rs. 80 per kg inAugust and September, prices have again shot up due to a shortage, triggered byunseasonal rainfall leading to crop damage in the main onion growing zones inMaharashtra.

According to reports, the average price of onions atthe benchmark Lasalgaon wholesale market was at Rs. 55.50 per kilogram. Tradersfear a further spike in onion prices as a high amount of crops have beendamaged by the unseasonal November rains.

Rains have been battering the key onion growing zonesover the last two weeks and an Indian Express report indicated that extensivedamage to onions was caused by the rains in Nashik, Ahmednagar and Pune.

With the scarcity in production, the prices havesoared in the market and the retail price of onion varies from Rs. 70-80 inAssam while in other states it touched even Rs. 100.

Onion prices around the country had only recoveredlast month, but it seems that customers will again have to pay exorbitant ratesfor the bulb. Prices of onions are in the range of Rs 60-90 per kilogram acrossthe country.

With prices fast approaching Rs 100 per kilogram, itcan be concluded that there has been a four-fold rise in onion prices duringthe last three months in the wholesale markets. As a result, retail prices ofonions have seen a sharper jump.