With onion prices rising upto Rs70 per kg in the retail markets, the Bageshwar district administration has decided to provide the key kitchen item to the common people on public distribution system at Rs54 per kg.
A total 20 quintal of onion has been procured to make it available at Rs54 per kg to the citizens, informed a district supply officer.
Following the Government’s decision in this regard , we have distributed 20 quintal of onion for six subsidised ration shops located across the district to be sold at Rs54 a kg, said JS Kandari, district supply officer, Bageshwar.
A ration card holder may purchase maximum 2 kg of onion for Rs54 a kg from the authorised subsidised ration shops in their respective area/ tehsil and the sale would be marked in their ration cards, added the district supply officer, Bageshwar. However, in Haldwani which has one of the largest fruits and vegetables mandis in Uttarakhand, the onion prices are hovering around Rs70 per kg in the retail market.
As the prices of onion have been maintaining an upward trend for the past nearly two months. The same is true for other vegetables too. Tomato which was being sold at i.e. Rs10 to Rs20 a kilo earlier, is now being sold at Rs35 per kg to Rs40 a kilo in the retail market.
The prices of the French bean have gone up to Rs60 to Rs70 a kg from Rs20 per kg in the retail market till June. More so, common vegetables like potato which was earlier being sold at around Rs8 or Rs10 per kg is being sold at Rs20 per kg in the retail market. Besides, the prices of other vegetables like cabbage, bottle gourd, bitter-gourd, capsicum are also running high in retail market.
Similarly, fruit prices are no less affected. The prices of apples have gone up to Rs100 per kg fromRs50 per kg. The market watchers here are of the view that if steps are not taken in time to strike a balance between demand and supply the prices of vegetables and fruits would further go up with time.