Onion prices soar to Rs 60 a kg in Delhi

At Mother Dairy's 350 Safal stores in NCR, onion is being sold at Rs 45 per kg. At MORE retail outlets, the edible bulb is available at Rs 50 per kg

Onion prices have soared to Rs 60 a kg in retail markets here due to lower supply in the wholesale market.

Local vendors are selling onion, a politically sensitive item, at Rs 55-60 a kg in Delhi, while rates are lower at organised retails. At Mother Dairy’s 350 Safal stores in the National Capital Region, onion is being sold at Rs 45 a kg. At MORE retail outlets, the it is available at Rs 50 a kg. The new crop from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is expected in September-October.

The Delhi government has started selling onion at reasonable rates at 350 outlets across the city. Meanwhile, rates at Lasalgoan, Asia’s largest wholesale market for onions, have increased to Rs 31.5 a kg from Rs 24 a kg on July 31, as supplies have fallen.

Onion prices in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh have risen to Rs 50-55 a kg across retail markets.

Wholesale onion price in Lasalgaon had reached this level during December 2010-January 2011. Retail prices had then skyrocketed to about Rs 100 a kg across the country, forcing government to curb exports.