Onion prices surge in city as supplies shrink

Kukatpally: Onion prices have gone up drastically in the last few days. Priced between Rs 12 and 14 during summer, they are being sold at Rs 35 to Rs 45 and more per kilogram.

Four days ago, consumers could lay their hands on onions for Rs 30 a kilo in Rythu Bazar in Kukatpally, but now it has gone up to Rs 35 per, which has forced consumers to reduce the quantity of the commodity, said Rambabu, trade union leader, Kukatpally. Extreme wastage in the imported stock and low supply are the main reasons for the price hike, he explained.

Agriculture Market Committee (Malakpet) Secretary J Anjaiya said that the State heavily depends on Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for onions. The recent floods have caused damage to onion crops in Maharashtra, heavily cutting off onion supplies to Telangana. "Usually, we import 25,000 to 30,000 bags from other states every day and now they are only able to send only 20,000 to 25,000 bags," she informed. Each bag is of 50 kg.

A retail shopkeeper in Yousufguda, Sathya, said, "In summer, we sold onions at Rs 8 to Rs 12 per kg. The wholesale price is more than Rs 30 per kg, but half the stock is rotten. Making profits after selling at Rs 40 –Rs 45 per Kilogram is tough."

A homemaker from Santhosh Nagar, Suwarna Krupa, said, "Onion prices are sky-rocketing and I have to use judiciously. Though prices are high, I can't stop buying because it is hard to cook without onion. So, I limited the quantity, previously I used to buy 500 grams for two days, now I am buying 250 grams because of price hike."