Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP) 

Mangaluru, Sep 25: Onion price has zoomed past the reach of ordinary citizens of the country. Poor people, for whom onion happens to be a necessity for making any dish, are now finding it hard to afford this vegetable. 

Because of heavy rains, vagaries of climate and export etc, onion price has been steadily increasing. During the last one week, the onion price has touched Rs 50 to 60 a kilogram. 

Onion is sold at Rs 40 per kg in wholesale market while in retail shops it is available at Rs 50. Coastal Karnataka mainly gets onion from Belagavi, Ballari etc, where crop this time has been poor because of the destruction unleashed by untimely rain. Till now, onion used to be supplied from the stock of last year, but this stock has since exhausted, it is gathered.

The large sized onion is sold in the wholesale market at Rs 50 to 60 per kg. For small onions, the price ranges between Rs 30 and 40.   Some wholesalers expect the price to reach Rs 100 a kg in the coming days. However, it is also observed that customers are turning away from onion because of its high price, and this might discourage the onion traders from jacking up the price as unsold stock can result in loss for them.