Post date: Dec 22, 2010 1:40:32 PM
The soaring prices of onions lead to hoarding by traders and protest from the consumers in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh while officials of food and civil supplies with the assistance of the police raid godowns of wholesale merchants in the national capital and seize hoarded onions.
ALLAHABAD, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (DECEMBER 22, 2010) ANI - The soaring prices of onions took resulted in the staging of protests in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday (December 22).
At Allahabad city, activists and supporters of regional Samajwadi Party, the main opposition in the state
gathered to stage a protest against the rising prices of onions.They issued a warning to the federal government to ensure lowering of the prices within two days or face repercussions such as blockade of railway links.
"Today, due to the rising prices of onions in the country, we, the members of Samajwadi Party here have staged a protest rally against Sonia Gandhi (chief of ruling Congress Party) and Manmohan Singh (Prime Minister). Prices have reached the range of rupees 70 to 80 (around 1.55 to 1.80 US dollars), thereby depriving the poor of a main ingredient vegetable. We, the people of Samajwadi Party want to make this clear to Sonia Gandhi that if within two days if the prices do not dip, we will block the railway links and federal government will be responsible for this action of ours," said Arun Gupta, an activist of Samajwadi Party.
Meanwhile, in the national capital, officials of the Food and Civil Supplies with the assistance of the police raided a couple of godowns at the wholesale market at Ghazipur.
Reportedly, they seized hoarded onions although they did not give the relevant details about the quantity and the persons involved in the black marketing of the vegetable.
The price of onions shot up to rupees 80 (around $1.75) per kilogram in New Delhi on Monday (December 20), while at other places it had skyrocketed to as much as rupees 100 (around $2.20).
The rate hike is attributed to shortage of stocks in the wholesale market.
A week ago, onions were being sold between rupees 30 and 45 (around 66cents to 1 US dollar) per kilogram in retail markets.
Irregular rains and export of the vegetable are reasons that onions in the wholesale market are being sold in the range of rupees 250 ($5.50) for five kilograms before reaching retailers, who sell it at about rupees 80 to 100 ($1.75 to 2.20) per kilogram.