Chandigarh: New onion stock to stabilise rates

By: Piyush Sarna

CHANDIGARH: The onion rates are constantly fluctuating in the city markets. The onion prices on Friday, as seen in Sector 46 vegetable market, touched Rs 70 per kg and tomatoes managed to remain at Rs 50 per kg. The market has been experiencing the fluctuation due to the recent heavy rainfall in Maharashtra, Nashik and the southern regions from where onions are exported.

Abhimanyu, one of the vendors at Sector 46 vegetable market, said, "The new stock of onions, which will be arriving soon, is expected to stabilise the onion prices, bringing it down to an affordable level. We too are confused about the situation we are in right now. We are not able to sell the entire stock of onions that we purchase from Sector 26 market."

Harkirat Singh Saini, a resident of Sector 8 said, "The vegetable prices this year have proven to be heavy on common man. Nothing is certain now a days."

Vendors claimed that though the size of onions in the present stock are small, the new ones will definitely be larger in size.

Balbir Singh, chairman, Sabji Mandi Aarthiya Association, Sector 26, said, "The fluctuating weather conditions in southern region is the main reason behind the fluctuation of the prices. Due to the weather conditions, the slow arrivals of truck has hit the market badly. As the prices have been touching the sky, the retailers also could not afford to buy much stock from the back-end due to which the prices in the vegetable markets were high. In almost 10 to 15 days, the situation will improve after the new stock of onions will arrive in the city." He also added that some amount of new onions have already arrived in the city.