Small onion price shoots up as arrivals shrink because of crop damage and cold weather in the region

The price of small onions has registered a steep rise in city markets over the past few weeks, owing to poor arrivals as heavy rain and a root rot disease caused extensive damage to shallots grown in Perambalur and other centres

The price of small onions has registered a steep rise in city markets over the past few weeks, owing to poor arrivals as heavy rain and a root rot disease caused extensive damage to shallots grown in Perambalur and other centres.

On Friday, small onions was being sold at ₹75 to 80 a kg (top quality) at the whole sale market in the city which caters to the retail markets in Tiruchi and its neighbouring districts such as Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam.

The price of small onions had been steadily going up over the past few weeks ever since the recent spells of heavy rain in December. The price shot up to ₹80 a kg now from ₹50 to ₹60 prior to the rains, wholesale traders said.

Heavy rain last month had damaged the crop in several parts of Perambalur, Thuraiyur, Namakkal, Rasipuram, and other shallot-growing areas, causing a sharp fall in arrivals in the market, said A. Thangaraj, General Secretary, Tiruchi Onion Commission Mandi Traders’ Association. “Nearly 50% to 60% of the crop had been affected,” he said.

According to Mr. Thangaraj, the wholesale market in Tiruchi has been getting only about 100 tonnes of small onions now against the requirement of 300 tonnes a day. Arrivals were expected to improve only by February when the next crop comes up for harvest. Until then, the prices are likely to stay elevated, he added.

Small onion growers in Perambalur attributed the fall in arrivals to a fungal disease, referred to as thirugal noi, in local parlance. “The rains last month and the cold weather had resulted in the outbreak of the fungal root rot disease and caused extensive damage in the district. I had to destroy my 30-day crop raised on seven acres and go in for fresh planting. Most other onion farmers in the district have done so,” said S. Bhoopathy of Esanai village in the district.

Commenting on the market situation, Mr. Bhoopathy said farmers never benefit from price rise and only middlemen and traders stand to gain.