Drought impact: Onion prices skyrocket

Onion is being sold at over ₹60 a kg in the retail market of Bengaluru for a week now Not just avarekai, but several other crops, especially onions, have also been affected by drought in the State. As severe crop loss has been reported from Chitradurga, the major onion-growing belt in the State, the prices of onions have skyrocketed in the market. Onion is being sold at over ₹60 a kg in the retail market of the city for a week now.

“During this time of the year, in a normal year, the Yeshwantpur APMC yard receives over 1,000 loads of onions from Challakere in Chitradurga every day. But there has been widespread crop damage due to drought and the arrivals are less than 100 loads a day, which is less than 10% than usual. This has pushed up the prices of onions,” said Ravi Kumar of Bangalore Potato and Onion Traders’ Association. He said even supply from Maharashtra had reduced also a trickle when compared with previous years.