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September 1998, first issue
Vegetable Prices go through the roof
Onion vanishes from menu of restaurants
By Amitabh Shukla
COMPARATIVE RATES
RUPEES PER KG
ONION POTATO CAPSICUM GINGER TORI LAUKI BEANS CAULIFLOWER
When the vegetable prices started rising in June, the Government gave an assurance that they would stabilise soon. However, the price graph continued to rise, with most of the vegetables now beyond the reach of the middle class.
Onion, the staple base for most vegetable preparations is now being retailed at an all-time high of Rs40 to Rs. 50 per kg. "It is only the affluent class which is buying onions now," says Satiate, a vegetable seller in Vasant Vihar, adding, "I have never before sold vegetables at such a high rate in my ten-year-long career in the trade".
Most of the restaurants in the Capital have already stopped serving onions with the food. They have also stopped using it in their preparations lest their profit margins decline. Says Ramesh Gulati of Vaishno Restaurant in Connaught place, "We have stopped serving onions as the prices have gone out of reach. I have requested my clients to bear with us for the time being."
The wholesale traders in the Azadpur market say that the failure of onion crops in Bahadurgarh, Rajasthan and then in Maharashtra, the main regions which supply it to the Capital, has contributed to the price rise. The export of onions had made matters worse. Though the Government did finally prohibit the export, the damage was already done leading to a severe shortage. On the other hand, the prices of the vegetables, apart from tomatoes, have gone through the roof. Potatoes are being sold at a price between Rs 10 to 15 a kg, lemon Rs70, peas Rs45, cauliflower Rs 30, brinjal Rs 20 and toree Rs 15 a kg. Tomatoes,which were being sold at Rs 40 per earlier, have now come down to Rs 20.
To the utter dismay of the housewives, coriander leaves dhania which used to be given free of cost along with the vegetables is now being sold at Rs 100 a kg. Similarly, green chillies also cost Rs 100 now. Ginger and garlic, two of the main bases for the preparation of vegetables have also crossed the Rs 50.
Significantly, the prices of vegetables which used to be quoted by vendors earlier in kg are now being quoted inpaav(250 gm). A vegetable seller explained, "It gives a psychological feeling that the prices are low."
The Delhi Government had announced with much fanfare that it was opening outlets for selling onions. And the few outlets which did open witness a mad rush of the buyers all day long. However, the prices here have failed to ad as a deterrent to the escalating prices in the open market.
The political ramifications of the steep rise In onion prices has already become a matter of great concern for the BJP Government in the Capital. "The skyrocketing price of onion is bound to bring tears in the eyes of the Government when the results of the forthcoming Assembly elections are out," said a seasoned politician in the Capital.
(H. T., Sept. 22, 1998)
Onion as luxury
The unprecedented rise in the price of onions in Delhi -- it has skyrocketed to Rs 40 a kg in the last two days -- reflects the gross failure of the local administration in disciplining the traders at both retail and wholesale levels. Only a few days ago, onion prices in the capital were lower at around Rs 20 a kg - more or less at the level of the prices Prevailing in the neighbouring states but this doubling of the price seems to be a Delhi phenomenon triggered by the collusion of the traders and their political masters. It is true that the onion crop suffered last winter along with other vegetables due to freak weather conditions and this led to spurt in prices but the extent of rise could have been contained if the Government machinery were vigilant enough to check the manipulation by the traders. In fact, the poor farmers are getting very little benefits of the skyrocketing prices of onions -- the bulk of the profit margins is being pocketed by the middlemen at the cost of the farmers as also the consumers. The present fruits and vegetables marketing system in Delhi is biased in favour of the commission agents, retailers and the wholesalers and together: they exploit the consumers and the farmers, especially those belonging to the small and marginal categories.
The Delhi administration has virtually abdicated its responsibility towards thie hapless consumers of the city. Despite a series of meetings to monitor price level in the recent days, the Sahib Singh Governmi3nt has done precious little to ensure an adequate supply of fruits and vegetables. There has been no action even now when onion prices have soared so high. Import can be an interim measure but it can be avoided if the administration invoked the stringent provisions of the Essential Commodities Act tot prevent hoarding and price rigging of onions. As the principal ruling party at the Centre, the BJP might have to pay a heajy pnce in political terms for its indulgence to the traders who are known to be the party's biggest fund raisers. Indira Gandhi used the onion price issue to bounce back to power in the 1980 elections. It will not be surprising if another Mrs Gandhi makes full use of the present price situation to turn the tables on the BJP regime again.
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BAZAR
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