Even as consumers are already hit hard due to the hike in the price of onion in the State, Food & Civil Supplies Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain on Tuesday said the rate of the vegetable would go up further by Rs 6 to Rs 10 per kg in coming days.
Swain told reporters, “We expect that the price of onion will further increase by Rs 6-10 as the domestic market completely depends on the price, availability, quality and quantity of onion in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.” The onion farming in these three States has been affected by rains this year, he said.
On the question of the Odisha Government’s intervention in controlling the price, the Minister said, “We will discuss with traders about the onion price hike and set up centres to provide the vegetable at a subsidised rate. The Government will take measures that will suit best to the people.”
Once the onion procurement starts in next 15 days, the price would come down, he added.
Notably, at present, the onion price hovers at around Rs 65 per kg in Bhubaneswar.