Buyers continue to feel the heat as onion price hits 120/kg in Visakhapatnam

The surge of onion price in Visakhapatnam has hit not only the consumers hard but also the owners of roadside eateries and restaurants. With the onion price crossing Rs 120/- per kg in the open market, people are seen standing in long queues, as early as 4 AM, in order to procure onions at subsidised prices. 

While 150 tonnes of onions are consumed in the city every day on average, the markets have not been able to supply more than 25 tonnes of onions. Speaking to the media, the District Horticulture Department official informed that onion reserves from Kurnool are no longer available. He further added that a special team visited Maharashtra to import onions required for the city. 

The increased onion price in Visakhapatnam has equally affected restaurants and medium-sized eateries. On average, each restaurant reportedly requires 20 to 30 kg of onions on a daily basis. However, with the onion prices skyrocketing, the restaurateurs have reportedly been using only 10 kg of onions per day. The eateries are left with no option but to look for alternatives to substitute onions. 

The situation in other places of Andhra Pradesh is no different. On Thursday morning, stampedes occurred in Rythu bazaars of Cheepurupalli and Parvathipuram, as people rushed at the gates of the markets to buy subsidised onions priced at Rs 25 per kg.