Surge in onion prices hits consumers hard

The rising costs of onions have caused significant hardship for consumers, with a kilogram of shallots now selling for as much as ₹180 in the retail market of Kochi. This price increase comes after a surge of around ₹50 per kilogram compared to the previous month, according to traders at the Ernakulam market. Other essential items like big onions, drumsticks, potatoes, and lemons have also been priced at higher rates, adding to the financial strain on household budgets.

Small onions, or shallots, were sold at ₹160 a kilogram in the Ernakulam market on Saturday, November 14, a marked contrast to the ₹90 a kilogram price in October. Traders reported that the same item is being sold at ₹148 a kilogram in Oddanchatram, Tamil Nadu, the main source for these onions in Kochi. Major onion markets in Madurai and Tirunelveli are also relied upon by sellers in Kochi.

The price of drumsticks, sourced from Tamil Nadu, has nearly doubled within weeks, from ₹80 to ₹140. Traders have pointed to low yields as the primary reason for the price rise, particularly for onion varieties. They predict that prices will stabilize by January based on historical trends. Nazeer, a wholesale onion dealer at the Ernakulam market, explained that onion prices typically rise during November-December as farmers are still harvesting the previous year's crops, leading to a supply-demand imbalance in the market.

K.K. Ashraf, a vegetable vendor at the market, echoed this sentiment, noting that prices for items like beans, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, and okra have been stable around ₹40-50 for some time. He added that the price of lemons has remained high at ₹140 per kilogram for the past two months, while the 'njalippoovan' variety of banana has stayed at around ₹90 for months.