New Delhi: Onion prices at the country's largest wholesale market Lasalgaon in Nashik are ruling at around Rs 36.11 per kg, due to fall in supplies.
Prices of the essential cooking ingredient have surged by over 140 percent as of August 13 at the Nashik market when compared with Rs 15 per kg at the start of July, as per the National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) data.
Lasalgaon wholesale market sets the price trend of onion across the country.
"Onion prices are rising mainly due to anticipation of decline in production and delay in supply of Kharif onion from main bulb producing states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh," Nashik based NHRDF Director R P Gupta told PTI.
Gupta also said that stock of rabi onions has come down to about 20 lakh tonnes from 28 lakh tonnes in the first week of July, he also added that the harvesting of early kharif crop has also started in Andhra Pradesh.
Apprehending further increase in onion prices, the government had already increased minimum export price of the commodity to USD 425 per tonne, and also extended the ban on holding of its stock beyond the prescribed limit by one year.
NAFED has already floated a tender to import 10,000 tonnes of kitchen staple from countries including Pakistan, China, Egypt.
As per Consumer Affairs Department data, retail prices of onion are maximum in Varanasi at Rs 55 per kg, followed by Rs 50 per kg in Kanpur, Shimla and Mandi.
In the national capital, onions are being sold at Rs 40-45 per kg in the wholesale market, as per the traders.
