Concerned over escalating prices of onion, the Delhi Government today said it is considering setting up of outlets across the city to make available the vegetable at reasonable rates.
“We may open stalls, like we did before, to make available onions at reasonable rates in case prices continue to soar,” Development Minister, Raj Kumar Chauhan, who looks after functioning of wholesale vegetable and fruit markets in the city, said.
He said the government will come down hard on hoarders and black-marketers of onion as the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has issued direction to take action against such traders.
Prices of onion have increased to Rs 45 to Rs 50 per kg in the retail market against Rs 20 per kg couple of weeks back. The price of onion had touched Rs 40 in retail markets in mid-July also but it had come down after supply was normalised.
“We are concerned about the rising prices of onion. The government would not like to leave people at the whims of hoarders and black-marketers. The government has enough machinery to foil their design,” he said.
The wholesale onion prices at Azadpur vegetable and fruits market have gone up to Rs 32.50 per kg.
Chauhan admitted that there has been decline in supply of onion in the wholesale markets which resulted escalation of price. The daily demand of onion in Delhi ranges between 400 and 600 tones.
“The city had received 3,884 tonnes of onion in the first six days of August against 4513.5 in the same period last year,” he said.
On Sunday, the city received a supply of 551 tonnes of onion while yesterday the supply was 206 tonnes.
“The drastic shortage in arrival of onion from onion producing states during these two days has directly or indirectly affected the onion prices,” he said.
Chouhan said heavy rains in onion producing states like Maharastra have affected supply.