JOIN USOnion price hits 70 a kilo in Bangalore
On Monday, the prices of most vegetables had doubled when compared to the last few days, with onion topping the list at Rs 70 per kg. The trend is not just restricted to the City but extends to the rest of the State.
Among the list of vegetables that left the consumer teary-eyed were tomato, beans, carrot, lady’s finger as well as drumstick. The price of tomato was Rs 30, which was much higher than last week’s price.
Shocked
The hike has dampened the spirits of many Christmas shoppers like Sonal Shukla, who was shocked to find the revised rates at her local grocery store. “The money I keep aside for my monthly shopping is limited, and normally, the hike is nominal. However, this time I could not buy half the things for the same amount,” said the HR professional.
Several shoppers like Shameem Ali, a resident of Indiranagar, regretted not stocking up vegetables a few days ago, when it was priced much lesser. “With the price of vegetables rising like this, I wonder what we can eat and how much we can save. One can hardly buy substantial amount of vegetables even for Rs 500 these days.”
Not just consumers, the price has also hurt vendors who claim the hike has impacted their sales. Sajid P M, a salesman at a supermarket, observed that the sale of vegetables, especially onions, had dropped due to the hike.
Parashiva Murthy, Managing Director of Hopcoms, attributed the scarcity of onions to rains as well as the lack of supply from northern states. Nasik in Maharashtra is one of the major suppliers of onion to the State.
“The unexpected rain had an adverse effect on the shelf life of onions in the northern districts of Hubli, Dharwad and Davangere. Farmers and suppliers had to dump their produce much earlier than expected. This has led to the crisis,” he added.
In an attempt to stabilise prices, a decision has been taken to stop the export of onion till January 15. However, authorities have confirmed that there is no hope of a respite for consumers until the beginning of next month. “Bangalore needs 1,000 tons of onion every day. But, the supply now is merely 200 ton. We are expecting supply from the North only by January first week,” said Chikkanna B V, Hopcoms President.