Increased rainfall drives up Onion, Garlic prices in Karnataka
Heavy rains have caused onion prices to rise by Rs 60/kg due to crop shortages and reliance on Maharashtra supplies. Local production recovery will take a month, and garlic prices have also surged. The market faces potential further price increases amid supply challenges.
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FollowHeavy rains in Karnataka have caused a significant rise in onion prices, with the retail market seeing an increase of Rs 60 per kilogram. The ongoing crop shortage in the state has led to a reliance on onions from Maharashtra, with local production expected to take another month to recover. Onion Traders Association has warned that further rainfall could aggravate the situation, potentially driving prices even higher.
On Wednesday, Yeswanthpur and Dasanpur APMC received 38,415 bags of onions via 127 lorries. Of these, only fifty lorries came from within the state, while the rest were from Pune. The wholesale price for onions ranged from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,500 per quintal, while city retail prices fluctuated between Rs 55 and Rs 860 per kilogram.
Onions currently available in the state market are sourced from Chitradurga and Challakere, with those from North Karnataka taking up to a month to arrive. However, the quality of the current crop is subpar, and onions from Pune are commanding higher prices.
B. Ravishankar of the Onion Traders Association highlighted that the market's limited supply has pushed prices up. Siddappa, President of the State Onion Growers' Association, noted that increased rainfall in North Karnataka has led to onion blight, resulting in a lower crop yield compared to last year. This could lead to further price hikes shortly.
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In addition to onions, garlic prices have also surged, reaching Rs400 per kilogram on Wednesday. Last December and January, garlic prices peaked at Rs 500 per kilogram before dropping to between Rs 250 and Rs 280. A minimal garlic crop in Karnataka, coupled with reduced production in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to the rains, has led to a market shortage.
This shortage, combined with high demand during the festive season and weddings, may cause garlic prices to rise further. Traders anticipate that prices could surpass Rs 450 per kilogram as farmers hold back stock in hopes of higher prices. The combination of poor weather conditions and limited supply has created a challenging situation for both onions and garlic, with consumers likely to face higher prices in the coming weeks.
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