At over Rs 150 a kg, shallots go off TN menu

A kilogram of small onions cost Rs 140 in the wholesale TK Market in the city. In retail it was sold at prices ranging from Rs 150 to 170. 

Onion traders in Coimbatore said, “A further price rise is inevitable as it may take at least a month more for supply to resume after new harvests,” said N Rajendran, president of TK Market in Coimbatore. Abdul Ajeez, Secretary of Coimbatore District All Vegetables Traders Association said that the supply to Coimbatore MGR Market has drastically dipped from the usual 4,000 bags to less than 1000 bags per day now. 

In Tiruchy, shallots that were sold at Rs 120 in the wholesale market and for Rs 130 in retail for the past two months has shot up to Rs 150 and 160, respectively, on Wednesday. According to wholesale dealer Suresh of Gandhi Market, the arrivals were usually at 200 tonnes per day but dipped to just 60 tonnes. In Madurai, shallots were sold at Rs.120 per kilo in the wholesale market and over Rs 160 in retail. 

At  Chennai’s   Koyambedu market, a kilo of the kitchen staple was sold at Rs 130. Traders attribute the price rise to low arrivals. R Soundararajan of Koyambedu Vegetable Traders’ Association prices said the prices rose steadily since last week and shallots were retailed at Rs 40- 50. However, it shot up to Rs 130 in the last two days