Soaring onion prices hit middle class in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Oct 25: With onions selling at Rs 80 to 90 per kg and green vegetables at not less that Rs 60 in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar, the economically marginalised sections are bearing the brunt of high food commodity prices. A kg of onion which used to cost Rs 20 couple of months ago has now touched Rs 80 bringing tears to the eyes of consumers in the capital city of Odisha. Similarly, no green vegetable is available in the market at less than Rs 60 per kg. According to onion wholesalers, price had been slowly shooting up and doubled last week from around Rs 40 per kg. The jump has been so steep that consumers who used to buy two-three kilograms are now buying just one, said a vendor of Unit - I market in Bhubaneswar. With the soaring price of onion along with green vegetables, especially, middle class are facing the brunt of high food commodity prices. We are unable to buy onions in large quantity like we used to buy earlier along with expensive vegetables, said a buyer in Unit – IV market here. Onion prices reached Rs 80 to Rs 90 per kg in Bhubaneswar owing to rising rates at wholesale market. Traders attribute the steep prices to shortage in supply as supply from farms is affected due to rain. On the other hand, the Union government has relaxed import norms until December 15 to boost domestic supply.