Onion: A real tearjerker at Rs 80-85/kg in city
SHILLONG: Shillong is known as the most expensive hill station. Cost of living here is unnaturally high owing to it being dependent on road transport. So if the price of onions elsewhere is high, here it is higher.
At Iewduh the oldest market in the State the price of one kilogram of onions ranges from Rs 80-85 whereas the prices of other vegetables also has shot up.
A retailer, Krishna Shah said he is selling onions at Rs 80 per kg. He informed that people were today buying smaller quantities of the vegetable. “People who used to buy one kilo of onions are now buying only 250 grams because of the prohibitive price,” he told The Shillong Times.
Another shopkeeper at Iewduh who identified himself as Harendar said that he is selling onion at Rs 75 per kg since his is the old stock. “People are unhappy at the price of onions yet they cannot do without it as it is an essential part of Indian cooking.” Harendar said.
He also rued the fact that at least 5-7 kg of onions are found rotten in every sack of 50 kilograms. This too has to be taken into account while putting the price on onions.
Hence while the retail price of onion ranges from Rs 70-80/kg the wholesale price of onions ranges between Rs 60- 62/kg.
Whole seller Ajay Kumar informed that the rate of onions has gone down by Rs 5 in the last few days and there is every chance that the rates would further reduce in another fortnight.
“Onion stocks have arrived at Guwahati in the last few days so we expect that the rates would go down when the new stock arrives here,” he said Another whole seller Nand Kishore also said that the rates of white onions have remained stable but it’s the red onions that are creating the jitters for housewives.
“It is fact that the onion crops this time have been destroyed by unscheduled heavy rains in Maharashtra. So when the supply is less the prices go up,” he said.
He also informed that everyday at least 4-5 trucks of onions come to Shillong.
The State Government has taken cognisance of the sharp rise in the price of onions and would be issuing a directive to all District Level Price Monitoring Committees (DLPMCs) to keep a check on the price of onions in the State, adding the Committee would also be told to remain vigilant against any attempts of hoarding onions in order to raise their price.