Onion prices hit ₹80/kg as supplies shrink, stored stocks spoil

Wholesale prices at Vashi have risen to ₹35-45 per kg from ₹15-25 last week, while retail prices have increased to ₹60-80 per kg from ₹30-45

Navi Mumbai: Onion prices have risen sharply across Mumbai, with retail rates reaching ₹80 per kg as fewer trucks arrive at the APMC market and much of the stored produce has deteriorated. Traders said the shortage of good-quality onions could keep prices high for the next two to three months.

Onion prices hit ₹80/kg as supplies shrink, stored stocks spoil. (HT ARCHIVE)

Wholesale prices at Vashi have risen to ₹35-45 per kg from ₹15-25 last week, while retail prices have increased to ₹60-80 per kg from ₹30-45. Traders cited the fall in arrivals and damage to onions in producing regions such as Nashik, Pune and Junnar as the cause of the price rise.

Vashi APMC normally receives 125-150 truckloads of onions a day. The number has now dropped to around 90-100. “Earlier, 80-90% of the onions arriving were of good quality. Now, around 50% of the produce is damaged and only about half is good,” said onion wholesaler Digamber Raut.

Traders said the quality of the produce has also deteriorated sharply, with around half of the onions currently arriving damaged. Rain during the harvesting period affected the quality and storage life of the crop, traders said. They estimate that about half of the onions stored in Maharashtra have been damaged. This has reduced the quantity of marketable produce and contributed to the recent price rise.

The price rise at Vashi comes amid broader pressure on onion prices. Government data showed that the all-India average retail price of onions stood at ₹43.53 a kg on August 24, while the average wholesale price was ₹35.58 a kg.

The Centre has been releasing onions from its buffer stock and transporting them from Nashik to major consumption centres through dedicated railway rakes under the ‘Kanda Express’ initiative. Buffer onions are also being sold through NCCF and NAFED at ₹35 a kg in selected markets.

The Centre has also expanded the Kanda Express operations to 86 railway rakes this year, compared with 14 last year, and has 1.21 lakh tonnes of onions in its buffer stock. The government has maintained that onion production remains broadly stable, estimating 307.37 lakh metric tonnes for 2025-26 against 307.67 lakh tonnes in 2024-25.

But traders said the immediate concern was the quality of onions reaching the market. “You can run an express train, but the government cannot stop onions from spoiling. If the produce remains fit for sale, prices can be controlled; if it deteriorates, no measure can control the prices,” Raut said.