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Journalism of Courage
Even as onion wholesalers and small traders of the state are going through a tough time due to the sudden hike in onion prices from Rs 40 to Rs 60 per kg,no concrete step is being taken by the West Bengal government,which is already in deep trouble because of scarcity of potatoes.
We have not yet got over the potato problem. What can we do about onions now? said Food Commissioner P Katiresan.
He further said that the state government is not in a position to react to the problem in the way it did during the potato crisis – by buying potatoes from other states and distributing it in the state. We will be bankrupt if we do the same this time, he added.
While Kolkata and a section of south Bengal needs at least 450 tonne onions everyday to cater to the demand,barely 200 tonne has entered the wholesale market in the city in last few days.
According to Bishnu Chanda,member of Koley Market Onion Dealers Association,supply to wholesale markets like Koley market and Posta Bazar were already being constrained due to production shortage in Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka and Rajasthan. A shortage in production in Nasik has also added to the problem, Chanda said.
Retailers and wholesalers are facing a tough time as the sales are dipping considerably with every passing day. The price has increased from Rs 1,800 per tonne to Rs 2,200 per tonne. We are being compelled to sell onions at Rs 50 per kg to small traders. The bulk of the supply comes from Nasik,where the production has been very low this time. We are facing this crisis after a very long time, said Mohan Singh,a wholesale onion dealer at Koley Market.
Onion was sold at Rs 55-60 per kg at Manicktola and Gariahat markets on today. Sales were hampered as people bought smaller quantities of onion hoping that the prices would come down soon.
Generally 20 to 25 kg onion is sold from my stall at Maniktola market everyday. But in the last three days I have not sold more than 5 kg. I have paid Rs 2,200 for a 40 kg bag today. I got low quality onion even at that price, said Shankar Das,an onion trader.
However,the state government does not have any emergency plans in store,except enforcing strict vigilance in all the markets.
We will keep a strong eye so that onion is not sold to other states from Bengal. Our surveyors are visiting every market to see whether any illegal hoarding is taking place, said Mortaza Hossain,Minister for Disaster Management and Agricultural Marketing.
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