As onion touches Rs 160/kg in Kolkata, state govt's 'Sufal Bangla' stall displays affordable rates

Kolkata: The price of onions in Kolkata touched Rs 160 per kg on Thursday, amid a national crisis over the deficit of onions resulting in skyrocketing prices for the vegetable. Onions were being sold in Kolkata at Rs 140 per kg on Wednesday and a sack of onions cost Rs 4800 at the wholesale market. However, in the span of one day, the rates have hiked further, showing the enormity of the crisis.

The price of onion in other parts of West Bengal -

Malda - Rs 120-130/kg

Burdwan - Rs 150/kg (in Nilpur Market)

Berhampur (Murshidabad) - Rs 150/kg

Jhargram - Rs 150/kg

Alipurduar - Rs 120/kg

Durgapur - Rs120-125/kg

Hooghly - Rs 140/kg

Nadia - Rs 120/kg

Meanwhile, in the latest thread of bizarre statements by politicians in this country, Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday, while referring to the talk around rising onion prices in the country, said that she does not consume much of onion-garlic herself, adding that she comes from a family which did not have to do much with the vegetable. However, she also addressed the crisis over rising onion prices in the country and said that the government was taking several measures to address this issue, including a ban on exports, supplying the produce from the surplus to deficit areas of the country, sorting out the structural issues regarding onion storage, and eliminating 'middlemen' in onion trade through the direct benefit transfer scheme.

Amid concerns over rising prices of onions, the government on Tuesday revised the permissible stock limits for the commodity with immediate effect. The centre has also announced that will import 11,000 Metric Tons (MT) of onion from Turkey in addition to 6,090 MT from Egypt. The supply from Egypt will arrive in India in the second week of December while consignment from Turkey will reach the Indian shores in January 2020.

Last month, the Union Cabinet had approved importing 1.2 lakh tonnes of onion to improve the domestic supply. Exports have already banned and a limit has been imposed on stock-holding for wholesalers and retailers for an indefinite period.

Currently, onion is being sold at Rs 100 per kg in most of the Indian cities.

(With inputs from DNA)