Crop delayed, onion prices touch Rs 100/kg in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Soon after Diwali, retail rates of onion have scaled to Rs 80-90/kg, with shopkeepers in areas like Nerul even charging buyers a steep Rs 100/kg. Consumers across the city are anxious and weary of this repetitive cycle every few months.

This year, the average price of onion has escalated to Rs 35-40/kg from Rs 25-30/kg. At Vashi APMC, wholesale rates are Rs 60, double of last week. Traders said new crop is delayed because of extended rainfall and till stock arrives in Dec, rates will remain high.

‘Only 80% of onion demand being met at Vashi APMC’

Rates of onion are again spiralling and becoming a pain point for the middle class. On Tuesday, vendor Harishchandra Jaiswal in Sher E’ Punjab, Andheri East, sold two varieties of onion for Rs 70-80. In Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri West, Home Choice grocery store’s gunny bag was marked Rs 78. In Powai, Fahim Khan of Hirendra Veg Store quoted Rs 90 for firm old bulbs, while new onion, which is semi-dry and limp, sold for Rs 80. Similar rates prevailed at Bheem Gupta’s shop in Malad.

“The new crop is delayed because of extended rainfall. Old onions are almost out of stock. So, their cost has risen to Rs 90. All winter vegetables are delayed,” said Gupta.

Pandurang Gulve, a farmer from Barshi, Solapur, said, “We were to harvest the crop soon after Navratri, which was not possible due to unseasonal rain. The soil became muddy damaging 50% of the crop. Extended rain delayed sowing of new crop as well.”
APMC onion-potato market director Ashok Valunj said, “Prices will remain high till Nov-end and will drop after the new harvest arrives from Ahmednagar, Solapur, Pune and Nashik.”

Balasaheb Badade, head of Vegetable Traders Association at APMC, said, “Old summer stock is exhausted, diminishing supply amid high demand. Around 100 truckloads of onion are reaching Vashi whereas the demand is 125. Retail rates will drop in early Dec to Rs 60.”

Meanwhile, as the first casualty of the price rise, roadside stalls have stopped cooking the popular favourite onion bhajia. “Edible oil has become so expensive this past month. I can hardly afford to buy expensive onions,” said a stall owner in Four Bungalows Market, Andheri.

Restaurants have begun to supplement onion with cabbage in their side servings. “New onion is still limp and semi-dry and tends to spoil within three or four days, but it is cheaper at Rs 80 per kilo. Old stock is robust. So, it costs Rs 90 per kilo,” said a hotelier. “We use new stock in curries, where they disappear, and old ones for salads, where they are visible.”