More tears are being shed for onion thanks to the sky-rocketing price in the last few weeks. The commodity was sold between Rs. 20 and Rs. 25 a kg a month ago but has now crossed the Rs. 55-mark.
The rise in prices has aggravated the problems of consumers, who are already overburdened with the escalating prices of vegetables and pulses.
Many people feel that the government should intervene at least at this stage to check the spiralling prices. “Traders are making the most out of the situation by hoarding stocks and selling them later,” Syed Jaleel Ahmed, a kirana merchant from Misrigunj, points out.
On the other hand, hoteliers are now restricting purchases, and many have brought them down to half their regular purchases.
“We cannot afford to suffer losses and hence are using it [onion] in smaller quantities for preparing dishes, while we have completely stopped offering it as part of salad,” says a hotel owner at Charminar.
Nearly 100 truckloads of onion arrive at the Mahboob Mansion market in Malakpet, and the stocks are sent to various smaller markets across the city everyday. However, the market now sports a near deserted look, with only a few petty vendors turning up.
A new crop is being awaited from Maharashtra, the biggest supplier of onion.
“There are reports of a possible decrease in prices in the next one week or 10 days when a new crop is harvested, but we are not sure about it,” says Mohd. Ibraj, an onion dealer at Osmangunj market.
