WB: Onion prices likely to touch Rs 200 per kg

India’s kitchen staple 'Onion' is likely to touch Rs 200/kg in retail counters in West Bengal on Friday. The price of onion is unlikely to dip sooner unless a huge quantity of the vegetable is imported to bridge the demand-supply gap. Maharashtra government has also reduced the supply from Nagpur and Nashik, two major onion-producing zones in the country.

Kolkata: Onion prices, which have shot through the roof across the country, could soon touch a new high of Rs 200 per kg in the market, West Bengal Task Force Officer Kamal Dey said.

"Centre has to take immediate action to tackle the situation else the price of onion will not be reduced," he added.

The price of onion is unlikely to dip sooner unless a huge quantity of the vegetable is imported to bridge the demand-supply gap. Maharashtra government has also reduced the supply from Nagpur and Nashik, two major onion-producing zones in the country.

Onions will be dear at least till January when the new crop hits markets in Nashik and Bengaluru. He further said that West Bengal has produced five lakh metric tonnes of onion and the demand for onions in the state is around eight lakh metric tonnes.

"The state should have taken proper actions to reserve the onions," Kamal Dey said.

State officials have also blamed the Centre for the crisis.