On the 5th of December, the price of onions in Hyderabad touched Rs. 150 per kg, making it impossible for the poor and the middle class people to buy the commodity.
When asked about the situation, a local of Hyderabad addressed the media and said, “The onion rates remain high in the city. Upper class people can afford it but poor people cannot. The Government should subsidise the rates so that every section of people can purchase them.”
The highest rate of onions in the markets is Rs. 15,000 per 100 kilograms, whereas the lowest price is Rs. 6,000 per 100 kg.
The residents are urging the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Government to take measures for ensuring the price reduces.
The situation is such that onion traders who used to buy 5 bags of onions are purchasing only one and customers who used to buy 5 kg onions are settling with just half a kilogram.
Meanwhile, good onions are priced at Rs. 150 per kg and the rotten and destroyed ones at Rs. 60 per kg. This year, due to unseasonal rainfall in the State, crops were destroyed, limiting the supply of onions across Telangana.
To resolve the issue and regulate the onion supply, the TRS Government run trading firm Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) Limited placed an order to import onions from Turkey.
Another set of onions from Egypt are also scheduled to reach Hyderabad after the 7th of December. The Egyptian onions would be sold in markets at approximately Rs. 60 per kg and would be available first in Saroornagar and then at the Mehdipatnam Rythu Bazar. The onions would be sold from 4:00 P.M., to 7:00 P.M., daily.
According to government officials, the onions are being imported to Hyderabad at Rs. 55 per kg. According to a source, “The first quota of 100 metric tonnes (onions) will arrive in the State on the 7th of December (sic.)”
The onions from Egypt, the colour and taste of which would differ from the local ones, would be sold for Rs. 60-Rs. 62 per kg.
Despite importing onions from Egypt, the State Government also placed an order of 4,000 tonnes of onions from Turkey, which are expected to be shipped to Hyderabad by January 2020.
Stay tuned for further updates.
