New Delhi, December 24: Onion prices continued to rise across the nation with the price soaring to Rs 140 a kilogram in the Delhi-NCR region. Reports inform that the kitchen staple was being sold at Rs 130-140 per kg in the national capital and several other states. According to a report by India Today, onions that were imported from Turkey and Afghanistan are being sold at Rs 40 to Rs 60 per kilogram. However, the ones from Nasik were being sold at Rs 95 per kilogram.

The report quoted a wholesaler at Okhla Mandi in Delhi saying that shortage in the supply of the kitchen staple has resulted in the price hike and the conditions is likely to remain the same for next 15 to 20 days. He added saying that the onions are being sold in wholesale markets at different prices depending on the variety.

Earlier this week, the prices of the staple's imports dipped after its imports increased recently, but the imported onions are not being liked by consumers. People across the nation believe the onions from foreign countries taste different from homegrown onions.

According to data on the Department of Consumer Affairs website, onion prices continued to stay high in various parts of the country on Monday. The data stated that the maximum price of the commodity as recorded on the department of consumer affairs website was Rs 150 a kilo on Monday, while the minimum price was Rs 46 a kilo. Onion Price Hike: Rates of Bulb Increased by 400% After March 2019 in India.

The retail onion prices stands at an average Rs 100 per kg in major cities. The rates are as high as Rs 160 per kg in some parts of the country. Amid the shortage of the kitchen staple, the government said it has decided to import 1.2 lakh tonnes of onion to control the inflating price of the vegetable. Onions have been imported from Turkey, Egypt and Afghanistan. Chinese Onion Demand Soar in Nepal Amid India Export Ban.

On Monday, the first batch of imported onion weighing 790 tonnes reached India. Some of the kitchen staple was distributed to Delhi and Andhra Pradesh at a landing cost of Rs 57-60/kg, a senior Consumer Affairs Ministry official said. An approximately 12,000-tonne of onion shipment is expected to arrive by end of December.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2019 09:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).