Hyderabad sees spike in onion prices; per kg rate crosses Rs 80

Hyderabad: Onion prices in Hyderabad have risen nearly twofold, causing concerns among consumers, including households, hoteliers, caterers, and street food vendors. The surge in onion prices is attributed to a shortage in supply due to unstable weather conditions. Previously, onions were selling for Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kg just a couple of weeks ago, but they now cost around Rs 80 per kg.

A sales associate at a prominent supermarket in Banjara Hills stated, “Yesterday the price was Rs 69 per kg, today (on Monday) morning we changed it to Rs 79. In the last few days, we have observed a spike in the prices.”

Online grocery delivery apps like Blinkit and Zepto have adjusted their prices to around Rs 70 per kg, up from Rs 56 last week, but many of these platforms currently list onions as out of stock.

Shamala Khambampati, a homemaker, expressed her concerns about the rising onion prices, saying, “Two weeks ago, I bought 4 kg of onions for Rs 100. Yesterday, two and a half kg of bad-quality onions were being sold for Rs 150. All we can do is minimise the usage of this vegetable, but that will also be a challenge as it is used in almost all dishes.”

This situation has triggered memories of a few months ago when Hyderabad faced soaring tomato prices in July, with prices reaching Rs 200 per kg. At that time, onions were in surplus, and their retail prices ranged from Rs 16 to Rs 25 per kg, depending on their size and quality.