There has been a steep rise in onion prices in the state. This has been ascribed to unfavourable weather conditions, especially heavy rains damaging the crop in the onion belt of the country —Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The new crop in Saurashtra will take about two months to harvest, which is why prices are at an all-time high. In Gujarat’s wholesale market, onion prices have shot up by Rs 100 per 20 kg in the last one week. This in turn has led to retail market prices shoot up by over 100 per cent.

Wholesale onion prices that stood in the range of Rs 230-250 per 20 kg in the first week of October, touched Rs 320 to Rs 350 on November 2 as per records maintained by the Chimanbhai Patel Agricultural Produce Market Committee at Vasna, the biggest onion market in the state.

Wholesalers and Agriculture Department officials see little hope of the situation getting any better until the Saurashtra onions hit the market two months from now.

According to officials, although onions from Hubli have started arriving, the market prices have remained static because the new onions are not in demand.

Kanubhai Patel, a wholesale onion dealer, said that the price rise has resulted out of the dearth of Nasik onions, which are the most sought after in Gujarat. With crops getting spoilt in Maharashtra, no major decline in prices is expected, say wholesalers.

For the last two weeks, onions are selling at a rate of Rs 30 to Rs 35 per kilo depending on the quality of produce. While the new onions are available at a price between Rs 25 and Rs 30 per kilo (depending on size and quality), old onions supplied from storehouses are priced between Rs 30 and Rs 35 per kg.