Hubballi: Prices of
onions continued to shoot up across the state due to shortage of supply because of heavy rain and floods in North Karnataka, the region where it grows in abundance.
Torrential rain and floods have also hampered transportation of onions from Maharashtra and other neighbouring states. Traders have predicted that prices may go up to Rs 100 per kg in Hubballi APMC in the next couple of days.
The price of onions is hovering between Rs 80-90 per kg in the market now. Huge stocks of onion remained under water in most of the godowns, resulting in a rise in price.
Abdul Wahab Mulla, secretary, Onion and Potato Traders Association, said that on normal days nearly 100 to 150 loads of onion used to be brought to the APMC, but now supply from Gadag, Haveri, Bagalkot and Dharwad has drastically reduced. However, thanks to supply from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra prices are still below Rs 100. In a couple of weeks, onions from Rajasthan are likely to arrive in Hubballi market. It will ease supply crunch further, said traders.
Raju Teradal, a shopkeeper on station road, said, “Onions have become unaffordable during the festival season. When onion is an essentail vegetable, why can’t the government intervene and control its price?”