No respite from price rise this festive season as rates of onions, tomatoes go up sharply
Tomatoes cost Rs 93 per kg in Kolkata; rains may make them even more expensive
Despite the government’s efforts to keep costs of crucial kitchen items under control throughout the holiday season, current price patterns demonstrate that it remains a difficult task. While average prices of pulses and major edible oils have remained nearly unchanged from a month ago, prices of onions and tomatoes have risen due to higher fuel prices and crop damage in the summer, reported The Times of India.
According to government data, the average price of onion jumped to Rs 39 per kg on Sunday, up from Rs 28 a month ago. The average price was Rs 46 per kg a year ago. On Sunday, onion rates in several major areas such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai were in the region of Rs 50-65 per kg.
On Sunday, the average price of tomatoes was Rs 45 per kg, up from Rs 27 per kg in September and Rs 41 per kg a year ago. Tomatoes were selling for Rs 93 per kg in Kolkata.
The report, quoting sources, said that recent rains in some parts of the country may cause tomato prices to rise even more.
On Sunday, the consumer affairs ministry released a statement claiming that “onion, tomato, and potato prices were lower than last year” and describing how, beginning in August, it began a calibrated and targeted release of onions from the buffer based on the first-in-first-out concept.
Onion prices typically rise from September to November as stocks decrease and new crops arrive by mid-November. According to the consumer affairs ministry, onion from the buffer stock has begun to be distributed, with a total of 67,357 tonnes released in major markets including as Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, and Chandigarh as of October 12.
“In addition, in Maharashtra, MP, and Gujarat, Grade-B onions (stocks that are below the fair average quality) are sold in local markets. We have provided all states onions from the buffer at Rs 21 per kg for lifting from storage places,” TOI report quoted the ministry as saying.