The retail price of onions across Kolkata continued to ride an upward curve with several markets selling the daily necessity at Rs 80 a kg despite trucks beginning to reach the wholesale markets from other states.
Across several markets, including Maniktala, Gariahat, Behala and Sealdah, retailers said they were forced to procure onions at steep rates making it difficult to offer a price that would match the expectations of the buyers.
“There is no sign of the price of onions going down. We are forced to haggle with the wholesalers for our quota almost every alternative day because of the prevailing trends. The wholesalers say they have been buying at a high price and can’t offer any price cuts,” said Biswajit Roy, a vegetable vendor at Jadu Babu’s Market in Bhowanipore.
Senior officials in the state’s agri-marketing department said Bengal requires close to 11 lakh tonnes of onion annually. The state’s domestic produce hovers around 6.5 lakh tonnes.
With a significant part of the produce getting wasted due to inefficient preservation mechanisms, the state has to bring in almost 8 lakh tonnes of onions from other states.
Till about a week back, there was a demand-supply mismatch because trucks carrying onions, mostly from Nashik in Maharashtra, found it difficult to negotiate the restrictions on plying of heavy vehicles during the pujas.
But now, traders said, truckloads of onions have begun reaching the wholesale hubs like Koley market, Burrabazar, Dum Dum and Dankuni.
Wholesale onion dealers said there were many reasons for the price of onions not dipping.
First, the fear of impending traffic restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles ahead of Kali Puja on November 12, next Sunday.
Several thoroughfares in and around the city, where pandals have been erected for Kali Puja, movement of heavy vehicles remains curbed. The window period within which heavy vehicles, and multi-wheel trucks including the 14-wheeler and 16-wheeler varieties, are allowed to ply was not enough for the big onion-carrying trucks to make a move and reach the wholesale markets, traders said.
“Amherst Street, for instance, has two three big-ticket Kali Pujas and movement of trucks will be banned possibly beginning Tuesday. This means trucks won’t be able to reach Koley market in Sealdah over the next few days till Kali Puja,” said Avijit Sarkar, one of the wholesaler traders of onions and tomatoes.
To make up for the losses, a section of traders were tweaking their supply of onions around this time so that the chasm in demand-supply remained significantly high, several wholesalers dealing with onions alleged.
Next, the price of onions in fair-price “Sufal Bangla” stalls. The state government has said onions will not be sold higher than Rs 55 a kilo in Sufal Bangla outlets, which are located at different strategic points across the city and several housing complexes.
“Since the state government is ready to pay a subsidy for buying onions to sell them for Rs 55 a kg, a section of wholesalers believe that they will continue to restrict the supply in retail markets and sell onions at a higher price to the state government,” said a wholesale trader in Burrabazar, on conditions of anonymity.
Senior officials in the agri-marketing department said the state was keeping a close watch on the price of onions and its supply from other states, including Maharashtra, where most wholesale markets were readying to receive a fresh supply of kharif onions.
“Once Nashik decides to clear off the stock to make room for a fresh supply of onions, its effect will be felt in Bengal because traders will then want to push for more onion supplies,” said a senior officer of the department. “If we start receiving more onions, the price at the Sufal Bangla stall will be lowered because the state government will no longer want to pay subsidies.”
