PANAJI
Despite the curbs on their export with higher duties imposed by the Central government the climbing graph of onion prices is refusing to come down in the local markets. On Monday, onions were being sold in retail at the Panaji market at Rs 80 per kilo.
Worse, traders in Panaji said the prices of the quintessential ingredient in Goan home kitchens could skyrocket further if the supply chain from Belgaum and surrounding areas dry up, breaching the Rs 100 per kilo mark within a few days.
The high prices of onions has hit the budgets of middle and lower-middle class families, especially with the prices having nearly doubled in the last 10 days. Onion was under Rs 40 per kilo in mid-October and has now touched Rs 80.
Meanwhile, at the Horticulture Corporation's outlets, the onion was priced at Rs 67 per kilo on Monday.
On October 18, the price was Rs 34 and it rose to Rs 48 per kilo within 24 hours. Since then, prices kept shooting up virtually on a daily basis.
Most of Goa's onion requirement is met by imports from wholesale markets in Belgaum and surrounding areas, traders said, adding that the most recent spike in prices was due to the damage to crops because of rains.
There is a possibility that a cartel of wholesalers may have also resorted to hoarding onion crop purchased from farmers sensing that the wet weather would damage crop and result in rising prices, one Panaji based trader who did not want to be named, said.
Earlier in July, tomatoes had similarly shown a trend of high prices for over three weeks peaking at Rs 150 per kg.
