Onion prices in Mumbai soar to Rs90-Rs100/kg

Onion prices in Mumbai soared to ₹90 to ₹100 per kilogram on Thursday, from ₹60 last week, owing to the shortage caused by unseasonal rain in various parts of the

Onion prices in Mumbai soared to ₹90 to ₹100 per kilogram on Thursday, from ₹60 last week, owing to the shortage caused by unseasonal rain in various parts of the country.

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At Lasalgaon, Asia’s biggest onion market, the auction rate was ₹7,050 per quintal, up from last week’s ₹4,801, resulting in the price rise in Mumbai’s retail markets.

According to Narendra Wadhavane, secretary, agricultural produce market committee (APMC), Lasalgaon, there is a tremendous shortage of onions due to the destruction of crops by the rain.

“We hardly have 4,000 quintal of stock in the market currently, compared to the normal 12,000 to 15,000 quintals,” said Wadhavane.

He said that just 284 pick-up vehicles, like tempos, trailers and two-wheelers, arrived at the APMC market on Thursday, down from the usual 1,200.

“We have no choice, but to cough up as onions are one of the main ingredients in many of our dishes. However, we are now cutting down on the use of onions as we have already suffered due to lockdown. I don’t have a work from the past seven months and this has only made things worse,” said Khushi Gupta, an actor who lives in Lokhandwala, Andheri.