Onion prices subdued, spurt unlikely in Oct-Dec on better storage, output

THANKS TO A rise in onion production and an improvement in its storage facilities at the farmers' level, prices of the staple vegetable, a political hot potato, are unlikely to see any big fluctuations this year.

- SANDIP DAS

And if things shape up as planned by the policymakers, the seasonal spike in onion prices in various pockets of the country during October-November may become a thing of the past, according to official sources.

Currently, the benchmark onion price at Lasalgaon, Maharashtra is ₹1,220/quintal down 20% from a year ago, and way lower than the last three years' seasonal average of ₹2,354/quintal.

"Storage of rabi onion at the farm level has improved in the last couple of years while production has increased," Balasaheb Misal, former director, Manmard (Maharashtra) mandi board and an onion farmer told FE.