Bengaluru’s retail onion prices have crossed ₹70 a kilogram after wholesale rates at the Yeshwanthpur market rose by ₹1,000 per quintal in a week, prompting the Union government to sell subsidised onions in major cities at ₹35 a kilogram.
The price of ‘A’ grade onions at Yeshwanthpur market reached ₹5,300 per quintal on Saturday, September 5, compared with ₹4,300 on August 29, according to a report by Prajavani. The weekly increase has added pressure to retail prices in Bengaluru.
The report said onion prices in Bengaluru were higher than those recorded in several other major cities. Retail prices were ₹58 a kilogram in Delhi, ₹53 in Mumbai, ₹63 in Chennai and ₹40 in Ranchi. The average onion price across the country was reported at ₹50.79 a kilogram.
Lokesh G., a wholesale onion trader at the Yeshwanthpur market, attributed the increase to demand from several regions. “Onions are arriving from Maharashtra. Large quantities are also reaching markets from within the state. There is high demand from Puducherry, West Bengal and other places, which is causing prices to rise,” he told Prajavani.
The Centre has begun releasing onions from its stocks to moderate prices. Nidhi Khare, secretary in the Union consumer affairs ministry, said 4,000 tonnes had been sold across 17 cities over the previous 10 days. The onions are being offered at a subsidised rate of ₹35 a kilogram.
The government is also transporting onions from Nashik in Maharashtra to areas with high consumption through the ‘Kanda Express’ initiative. The intervention is intended to increase availability in markets where prices have risen sharply.
The latest increase comes as traders and consumers await the arrival of the new onion crop. Officials said new onions are expected to reach markets by the middle of October and that prices may decline thereafter. Until then, Bengaluru’s retail market will remain dependent on incoming supplies and the impact of the government’s subsidised sales.
The Union government’s next stated milestone is the arrival of the new crop in markets around mid-October, when officials expect prices to ease.
