Odisha government turns to AP farmers for onions

BHUBANESWAR: Faced with strong criticism from the opposition Congress and BJP for its ‘failure’ to check the spiraling onion prices in the state, the Odisha government has decided to procure the Indian spicy vegetable from Kurnool in the neighbouring state. However, the government’s effort to ease the situation does not look an immediate proposition considering the fact that the Kurnool farmers are yet to harvest the produce. Reports said the Kurnool farmers will go for harvesting onions in the next few weeks. Onion price which was just 10 per kilogram in the last week of July has skyrocketed to Rs 30 in retail market.

In the state government-run fair price shop ‘Maitree,’ - the vegetable is being sold at Rs 17 per kg. State food supplies and consumer welfare minister S. N. Patro, - as the prices at source centres are high, the government does not have control over prices.