Price of onion still unaffordable

Rawalpindi: The residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad still buying onion at skyrocketing prices of Rs250 per kilogram. The hoarders are freely looting public with both hands.

The onion prices were continuously fluctuating in sabzi mandis. Three kinds of onion are being sold in open markets that very low quality onion is being sold at Rs150 per kilogram while a little better onion is available at Rs220 per kilogram and fine quality is being sold at Rs270 per kilogram. Export ban has also failed to bring down the prices of onion. Government stopped exporting of onion till March 31 but public has to buy the commodity at skyrocketing prices.

The price of onion, a staple vegetable has soared to unprecedented levels across the country, reaching as high as Rs330 per kg in Rawalpindi and Islamabad some two weeks back. According to the Bureau of Statistics, Rawalpindi and Islamabad had the highest onion price in the country, followed by Rawalpindi (Rs 330), Sialkot (Rs 270), Peshawar (Rs 280) and Khuzdar (Rs 250).

No doubt, the local administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have controlled skyrocketing prices of onion for a week from Rs330 to Rs250 but this price is still high and unaffordable for a common man. The residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad told ‘The News’ that onion was easily available at Rs30 to Rs40 per kilogram but suddenly its prices have skyrocketed. How could we afford to buy onion at Rs250 to Rs270, people bemoaned.