Onion prices have been rising; the government said it will import the kitchen staple
For the second day, onion prices in Chennai hovered between Rs 60 and Rs 80. At Thiruvanmiyur in southern Chennai, Senthil Kumar, a driver earning Rs 15,000 a month, says he can afford only half the quantity of onion he usually buys for his four-member family.
Even lower quality onion costs Rs 60 a kg, double of what it cost last week. "It's so difficult. We are unable to manage. I've cut consumption by 50 per cent. We use onion only if it's unavoidable," he said.
Traders blame the situation on short supply from Nasik, a major onion hub. Large consignments have perished during rain last week across south India, they said.
"Only because of rain there is less supply. Onion sale hasn't been hit," said Selvam, a vegetable seller.
Across India, people are feeling the pinch. Sangeeta, a health professional in Chennai, said she is making the switch to an onion-free menu at home as good quality onion sells at Rs 80 a kg.
"Onions also have their health benefits. That gets affected. I definitely buy less and look for things to cook without onions. For a short term, it's okay but we still need to include onions in our food," she said.
Suresh, an IT professional, shared his wife's new recipe. "We've stopped using onion for dosas. My wife wants me to buy vegetable which can be used without onions or consume less onions," he said.
The centre is looking to source the vegetable from outside the country, with onion price rise known to be politically volatile.
"The government is making efforts to facilitate imports through private trade from Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey and Iran. The Agriculture Ministry has also been asked to liberalise import norms," said Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
In Tamil Nadu, the state government is reviewing the situation. It's yet to start sale of onion through its Farm Fresh outlets, though it had sent teams to Nasik to get onions.
"We would chalk out a plan once we receive a report from officials who visited Nasik. Then we would decide where to buy from, whether Nasik or Andhra or elsewhere," State Cooperatives Minister Sellur Raju told NDTV.
Officials have been instructed to crack down on hoarders. "Tough action will be taken against retailers with a stock of above 5 tonnes and wholesalers above 50 tonnes," an official said.