Over 70% households feel the pinch of rising potato, onion prices

Over 70% households surveyed said that they felt the pinch due to the sharp increase in the prices of essential commodities, especially tomato, potato and onions, upsetting their domestic budgets.

As many as 71% of the 8,273 respondents of the survey carried out by LocalCircles said they were paying more than Rs 50 for a kilogram to tomato, Rs 40 for a kilogram of potato, and Rs 50 for a kilogram of onion.

In comparison to a similar survey published in September, 61% of the households said they were paying more than Rs 60 for a kilogram of tomato, Rs 30 for a kilogram of potato and Rs 25 for a kilogram of onion.

Of the 7,904 households surveyed, 70% said they paid 25% to 100% more to buy tomato, potato and onion in 2020 in comparison with last year.

A similar survey published in September found that 73% of households were spending more on monthly essentials and grocery items in comparison to pre Covid-19 times.

A total of over 16,000 responses were received across 242 districts of India. As many as 58% of respondents were from Tier 1, 23% from Tier 2 and 17% respondents were from Tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

Average retail prices of essential food items have witnessed a sharp increase this year, mostly on account of short supplies and damage to crops due to unseasonal rainfall states growing onions and lower harvests of potato.

Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said that the government was facilitating imports of onions and potatoes to boost domestic supplies and cool down prices.

Goyal had said that the arrival of Kharif crop in the markets later this month would also help bring down prices.