By IANS
New Delhi : The soaring prices of onions and tomatoes are most unlikely to fall before September, an official said, reviving memories of a 1998 crisis that led to a change in the local government in Delhi.
Onion prices have touched Rs.21 per kg and tomato prices Rs.28 per kg in Delhi, and authorities blamed poor supply from Punjab and Haryana as well as destruction of crops in Maharashtra and Gujarat due to rains for the price rise.
In 1998, onion, an indispensable item in many kitchens, soared past the Rs.40-per-kg mark and became an election issue for the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress party.
“It’s becoming a headache for common people. Tomato, onion and potato are too expensive these days. While onions have touched Rs.21, tomato is costing nearly Rs.30 a kilo. They are essential items but it’s becoming difficult for us to afford,” complained Seema Rawat, a housewife.
The Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB) said that lack of tomato supply from Punjab and Haryana and heavy rains in Maharashtra and Gujarat were the key reasons behind the soaring prices.
“The tomato season in Haryana is over and we are getting it from places like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. The transportation cost has gone up, adding to the retail price here,” DAMB chairman Brahm Yadav said.
“The recent rainfall in Himachal had blocked the roads, forcing many goods carriers to stay still on their way to Delhi. It was also one of the factors for the current imbalance in tomato price,” Yadav told IANS.
Similarly, onions are coming from Gujarat and Maharashtra but rainfall is affecting their supply to the capital market.
“We hope the situation will improve in September as monsoon rains will subside to some extent and they will start coming from Punjab again,” Yadav said.
Every day Delhi consumes 700 tonnes of potato, 400 tonnes of onion and 200 tonnes of tomato.
Authorities said that to stabilise the potato situation, they had started getting fresh potato from Himachal and Uttarakhand and from cold stores in Agra and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh.
In February, onion prices had touched the Rs.24 per kg mark here, bringing headaches to both the consumers and the state government.
A disturbed Delhi chief minister had then written to central Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to ban the export of onions immediately.
To help Delhi residents buy onions at a lower rate, the government had also set up designated stalls in major markets including Azadpur and Okhla.
Now, authorities have promised to carry out inspections in various markets in Delhi to expose those indulging in any black marketing or hoarding.