Onion prices spark political battle, bring tears to consumers

Over the weekend, the government introduced a minimum export price of $800 per metric tonne for onions in an effort to restrict exports and ensure an ample supply of onions in the local market.

Nevertheless, the escalating costs of the onions have taken on a political dimension as we approach the 2024 Lok Sabha election and the Madhya Pradesh assembly election later this year.

Congress leader Ragini Nayak on Sunday wore a garland of onions to highlight the rising prices of the kitchen staple and attacked the BJP governments at the Centre as well as poll-bound Madhya Pradesh over the distress it was causing people.

With the nationwide average retail price of onions surging by 57% to 47 per kg, the government decided on October 27 to increase the distribution of buffer onions at a subsidized price of 25 per kg in retail markets to alleviate the burden on consumers.

The price of onions in the national capital on Saturday witnessed a huge increase to almost double the previous price. Onion traders are putting the blame for the sudden spike in onion prices on a shortage in supply.

Retail giants like Mother Dairy and online platforms like Bigbasket and Otipy are pricing onions between 67 to 70 per kilogram, whereas local vendors are selling them for 80 per kilogram.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday slammed the Narendra Modi government over the rising prices of onion, and said the people of five states will tell the secret of why its prices have risen again by defeating the BJP in the upcoming polls.

Some experts attributed the diminished crop area and delayed crop arrival to adverse weather conditions affecting the kharif onion sowing process.

It is worth noting that Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, and Telangana are on the cusp of assembly elections, and the high price of commodities could very well impact these elections.