Onion Prices Won't Come Down any Soon, say Dealers

The rising prices of onions and vegetables, which have already been eroding the budgets of the people in the national capital, are not expected to fall till Oct 15, the wholesale dealers predicted here Tuesday."The onions are the most expensive and even in the wholesale market they being sold at Rs.60-70 per kg. The prices will continue to remain so till Oct 15," Mahinder Khurana, a wholesale dealer at Jagriti Agro, told IANS."As the demand during the festivals is higher, so the prices may remain high till Diwali," said Ram Dhan, another wholesaler at the Azadpur Mandi in the capital.The shortage of stocks and low arrivals of vegetables, especially of onions, from the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra have caused the price to rise, dealers said."As the arrival has been in great shortage, so the prices have been rising. The gap in demand and the supply is very huge," Aditya Mishra, deputy secretary, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), told IANS.According to APMC figures, the highest wholesale price of onions was Rs.55 in the month of June, and the prices have touched Rs.70 within three months' time now.While the wholesale prices are high, the retail prices are worse still and are making people virtually cry."In the retail market, we are getting two varieties of onions. The best ones are for Rs.80 per kg, while the others are being sold at Rs.75 per kg. I wanted to save even Rs.5, so I chose the lower quality," said Akanksha Gupta, a homemaker living in a joint family.Shweta Sengar, who stays in a rented room with her friends said, "We are purchasing less vegetables and making sure that it is not wasted. Staying away from home, managing the already high house rent, and now the rising food prices - life has become difficult.""Everything has become expensive and the household's bills continue to rise. Now with Rs.500 also you hardly get anything," said Rudroneel Ghosh, a media professional.