Three days of 10% price hike makes food plate expensive, common man’s budget is getting disturbed

Onion and potato prices are increasing, making food plates expensive for the common man. Their budget is getting disturbed. In the last three days, potato prices have increased by almost 10%. On Friday, the wholesale price of potatoes in the Posta market was Rs 140 per pallah, while on Sunday it was Rs 150. Similarly, in the retail market, potatoes are being sold at Rs 35-40 per kilogram. Onions are also increasing their prices, making people cry.

Onion and potatoes are also making people cry

Potato and onion prices are increasing, making food plates expensive for the common man. Their budget is getting disturbed. In the last three days, potato prices have increased by almost 10%. On Friday, the wholesale price of potatoes in the Posta market was Rs 140 per pallah, while on Sunday it was Rs 150. Similarly, in the retail market, potatoes are being sold at Rs 35-40 per kilogram. Onions are also increasing their prices, making people cry. On Sunday, onions were selling at Rs 60-70 per kilogram in the retail market.
A buyer, Dinesh Aasopa, who came to purchase vegetables at Nutan Bazaar, said that potatoes are the king of vegetables and are a must-have in every meal. When they become so expensive, it becomes difficult for a common man to afford two meals a day. Yogi Rathi said that it’s the month of Pitru Paksha, and many people don’t eat onions during this time. Still, onion prices are increasing. If this continues, onions will disappear from the common man’s plate.

Onions coming from Nasik have higher costs

According to Vishwanath De, president of the Greater Kolkata Fruit Potato Onion Vegetable and Lemon Merchants Association, the goods coming from the south are of poor quality, while the onions coming from Nasik have higher costs, leading to higher prices. He said that this situation is likely to continue for some time.

Supply disrupted in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh

Kajal Chatterjee, general secretary of the association, said that the supply of big potatoes from Medinipur to Madhya Pradesh is normal, while small potatoes are being sent to Bihar. However, the supply is disrupted in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, which is why this situation has arisen. He said that earlier, seven states, including Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura, used to receive supplies from here, but now the market has weakened due to good production in these states. He said that there has been a difference of Rs 200 per quintal in potato prices.

40% of potatoes are used in the state

Chatterjee said that people had purchased potatoes at high prices this year. If the cost is not recovered, farmers and traders will suffer losses and won’t be able to continue the business next year. He said that 40% of potatoes are used within the state, while 60% are sent to other states. Potatoes are a major source of revenue for the state, and if they are not sent outside, the system will collapse. According to Chatterjee, only 10-15% of potatoes are used for cultivation, while 90% of the seeds come from Punjab. So far, about 54% of the stock has been sold, so there is enough stock of potatoes.