Wholesale onion prices have been climbing steadily over the past two days at Bengaluru’s Yeshwantpur Agricultural Produce Market, with predictions that retail prices could soon reach Rs 100 per kilogram if the trend persists. As of Thursday, premium onions were selling for Rs 70-80 per kilogram in Bengaluru’s retail markets, while lower-quality onions, priced around Rs 40, were reportedly of poorer quality. Traders anticipate that onion prices will continue to increase in the coming weeks. At the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), around 100,480 bags of onions arrived, including 8-10 lorries of high-quality old stock from Maharashtra, priced between Rs 7,200 and Rs 7,500 per quintal, while local varieties ranged from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,500 per quintal.
Recent heavy rains in Karnataka have damaged a large portion of the local onion harvest, reducing its shelf life and leading to lower prices for state-grown onions. These onions are currently being supplied to Bengaluru from regions like Chitradurga, Bagalkote, Gadag, and Koppal, noted B. Ravishankar, a Yeshwantpur APMC trader. Due to limited supplies and lower-quality produce, onion prices are expected to continue their upward trajectory, adding strain to household budgets.
The rising cost of onions mirrors broader increases in vegetable prices across the region, spurred by reduced stock and adverse weather conditions. In areas like Uttara Kannada, where vegetable harvests have been particularly low this season, produce is being imported from neighboring districts such as Belgaum and Dharwad. Heavy rains have caused extensive crop rot and spoilage, creating a scarcity that has driven prices up sharply. With Diwali demand in full swing, common vegetables like peanuts have doubled in price, reaching Rs 80 per kilogram, while the cost of a single lemon has surged to Rs 5 due to limited supply.
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