By NewsGram Staff Writer

Onion prices have always been under the radar. They keep going up and then get stable only to go up further. The common man has to suffer endlessly. Now again, the onion prices are all set to rise. Prices have already crossed Rs 70 per kg mark at many places. These prices are likely to remain on the higher side till September-end as per the reports of National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF).

In Delhi, onions were selling at Rs 65 per kg in retail. In the past one month, the prices rose by Rs 25 per kg. This inflation has forced people to think of onion as a distant entity.

This problem is nationwide as onion is a very common vegetable in every household. In fact, dhabas are incomplete without them. However, now even the dhabas have decided to charge extra penny for serving onions in salad.
In Kerala, Onam festival is round the corner. The onion prices are a cause of major worry as now they would either have to compromise with the taste or spend some extra money.

"Today, I am selling it at Rs.65 a kg, whereas a week back it was Rs 40. With the festival season of Onam round the corner the price could cross Rs 70," vegetable vendor Ramesh in Thiruvananthapuram said.

Reshmi Nair, a housewife in the Kerala capital, said that for the time being, she is saved as last week she purchased around five kg of onions at Rs.39 per kg and this would last through the Onam week.

Some housewives are now beginning to cut down on onion usage in their homes.

"I use onions in every vegetable, but the steep hike in the prices has now forced me to do without onions in my kitchen. For me it is no more affordable at Rs.70 a kg," Archana Bharti, a housewife in Shimla expressed.

"The common man feels cheated by the continuous price rise of essential commodities," she added, blaming the Modi government for not doing enough to check onion prices.

The price hike is a serious burden for the common man who has to either quit eating the vegetable or compromise in some way or the other. The family budgets too will have to be revised in order to fit in this extra costly vegetable.

Should we expect a time when onions will start getting displayed in shops with jewellery items or is the Modi government listening to the public plea anytime soon?

(With inputs from IANS)