Pune: There is no relief for Puneites, as prices of one of the kitchen staple, onion, continue to soar in the retail market. In one week, the retail price of the bulb has increased by around Rs 10- 20. At present, the retail price of onion is Rs 55-60. Further, farmers from onion producing areas inform that the sowing of kharif season was delayed and the new crop will come only after two months.
Rakhi Indelkar, a vegetable vendor in Mahatma Phule Mandai, said, “The onion price has increased up to Rs 60 from around Rs 40 last week. There was hardly any good quality produce in the market and whatever was available, was costly.”
“There was hardly any kharif produce due to the incessant rains. The prices might go up to Rs 80 to 90 in coming days,” said Chaturbhuj Rai, another vendor.
However, at Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Pune, the wholesale rate of onion continues to soar at Rs 41 per kg on Sunday. “Currently, the onions coming in the market were being stocked and, therefore, wholesale rate was not coming down. The wholesale price of onion has increased from Rs 32 to 41 in just one week,” said Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Market Yard Aadte Association President Vilas Bhujbal.
Onion price continued to rock APMCs across the State on Saturday. At Lasalgaon, it was around Rs 44 per kg. At Aurangabad and Mumbai, it was around Rs 44 and Rs 25 respectively. Onion price at Kolhapur APMC was Rs 48 on Saturday.
Maruti Chinde, an onion farmer from Ahmednagar district, said, “Red onions from kharif season used to come by September. However, this time, the sowing of onion in Nagar district has started now, as it got delayed due to late monsoon. Furthermore, even the area under kharif onion in the district has reduced by 50 per cent. The onion in the storage was also getting damaged.
The sowing of onion in all the regions like Aurangabad, Nagar, Nashik, Osmanabad, etc, got delayed and it will take at least two months for the new produce to come in the market.”
“In Nashik, the onion sowing was completed this month only and the new produce will come only after one-and-a-half months. Last year, by Dusshera, new supply of onions was there in the market. However, this time, only by the end of November, there will be new supply. Looking at the situation, it is very likely that prices of onion will increase to up to Rs 80 and Rs 90,” said Eknath Sanap, Nashik farmer.
