Potato, onion prices shoot up due to rains
| Date :21-Aug-2019 |
Business Reporter:
RAIPUR Prices of potato and onion witness a sudden surge of 20 per cent. Onions, which used to be sold in retail at Rs 25 per kg is now being sold at Rs 30 while potato is being sold at Rs 18 – 20 per kg, recording an increase of Rs 2 per kg in last one week. A retailer of onion and potatoes in Raipur’s Shastri Market Ashok Gupta informed that despite bumper production of crops this season, heavy Monsoon showers followed with flood-like situation in neighbouring states has drastically affected the transportation network of potatoes and onions to Chhattisgarh. Generally, onions are supplied to the wholesale and retail market across state from the national-level mundies in Maharashtra.
But heavy rainfall affecting transportation network has forced the local traders to approach wholesalers of mandies in Madhya Pradesh, where onion is sold at higher price in comparison to Maharashtra. So, apart from the generally higher cost added with short supply from Maharashtra, the prices of onion has gone-up by around Rs 5 per kilogram in local retail market.
The rural mandies have adequate onion stock and the prices are expected to come down with conditions again rolling back to normal favouring proper supply based on the demand from the wholesaler to the consumer, Ashok Gupta added. He further said that heavy rainfall in West Bengal has also impacted the supply chain of potatoes to Chhattisgarh for last one week.
The sudden shortage in local stock and greater demand against short supply from the wholesale markets of West Bengal has scooped the prices of potatoes by Rs 2 per kilos in Raipur city. Presently, a 50kg packet of potato is sold at Rs 700 in wholesale whereas the same quantity was available at Rs 550, recording an increase of Rs 3 per kg. Thus, potato is sold in retail at Rs 18 to 20 per kg in local market, Gupta maintained.