On Tuesday, as the price of onion in retail stores in the capital varied between Rs 60 to Rs 80 per kg, while the wholesale price remained Rs 50 per kg, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit wrote a letter to union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, requesting him to curtail the export of onion, increase the supply in Delhi and help stablise prices here.
The issue of high onion prices in Delhi was also discussed in a high-level meeting attended by Delhi development minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, food and civil supplies minister Haroon Yusuf, commissioner (food and supplies) S S Yadav and senior officers of the food and supplies department.
‘The city government is concerned about the rising onion prices. The shortage in supply is due to rains in onion-producing states. The supply in Delhi used to be approximately 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes per day, but it has gone down to 800 to 1,000 tonnes per day. It has been decided to keep an eye on the quantum of availability and rising onion prices across the city,’ informed Yusuf. Chauhan and Yusuf stated that the daily supply of onion in the national capital has gone down substantially. In order to mitigate the effects of soaring onion prices, the city government has decided to arrange for sale of onions at reasonable rates through 50 mobile vans across the city. The vans will be visiting various localities to ensure availability of onions at reasonable rates. The city government has warned hoarders and black-marketers of strict action and will request other states to act accordingly.