Onion tears: Prices soar in major cities, cross Rs 50/kg

The consumers will now have to wait for the prices to go normal till the fresh produce comes into the market

Soaring onion prices lighten consumers' pockets/ PTI IMAGE

New Delhi: Onion prices in major metropolitan cities have once again soared and are giving tears to the consumers once again as the prices have touched Rs 60 per kg. Onion is used as one of the main ingredients of everyday cooking in most households. Therefore, a sudden jump in price from Rs 30-40/ kg to Rs 50-60/kg, is ought to hurt the pockets and budget of the common man. Prices in different states: Delhi: Rs 50/kg Mumbai: Rs 50/kg Kolkata: Rs 50/kg Chennai: Rs 45/kg Reason for price rise: One of the main reasons for sore in prices is lack of rains. The country being the second largest producer of onion, as per the agriculture ministry, the production of onion in 2017-18 was estimated to be 2.14 crore tone; whereas, in 2016-17 the production was of 2.24 crore tonne. Another major reason for sore in prices is Madhya Pradesh produced excess of onion in the month of January and May, but the farmers didn’t get any buyers, therefore they had to sell the onions to the government for Rs 8/kg. The same was sold by the government at Rs 2.5/kg to the consumers. The same also led to massive loss of onion produce as the onion purchase was more than the godowns could hold hence onions got rotten in monsoon, as result of which the common man is facing now. The consumers will now have to wait for the prices to go normal till the fresh produce comes into the market.