Trichy: With rain continuing to evade the state, the price of small onions has shot up to Rs 70 per kg in Trichy district.Just about a couple of months ago, the price was around Rs 25. However, it has skyrocketed to Rs 68 to Rs 70 in the city in the past one week, forcing people to restrict their usage of small onion."The cost of onion is as scorching as the summer heat. At the present price it is not affordable in a middle class family. So, I have limited the usage," said a house maker Y Bhuvana in Shanmuganagar.Terming as unprecedented, onion traders said they expected a further hike in prices if the drought situation remains unchanged in Tamil Nadu. Perambalur district, Namakkal, Thuraiyur in Trichy district are the major suppliers of small onion to Trichy and several other places in Tamil Nadu. Traders said that the severe drought has affected production and eventually escalated the price of the small onion.The fall in supply is visible at Gandhi Market, the wholesale vegetable market in Trichy. It currently receives only 100 tonnes of small onions daily against the 300 tonnes it used to receive two months ago.Out of the100 tonnes, 50 tonnes are brought from near Sathiyamangalam and from Tholudhur near Ulundurpettai respectively."The price of Rs 2,000 for a 50 kg sack of onion was a good one earlier. Now, the price for the same quantity is Rs 3000. If there is no good rain, there will be no change in the price for the next two months after which it may go up even further," general secretary of Trichy onion traders association A Thangaraj told ToI on Saturday.He said that the major suppliers in Perambalur and Thuraiyur have been able to send negligible quantities of onion only. "Those who stored them in the cold storage are supplying to the market," he said."Rain alone can be the saviour of farmers including those cultivating onion. A heavy rain will boost the water storage and ground water level so that they can be utilised for onion irrigation which requires as much quantity of water as paddy. Otherwise, the farmers will be at stake and the price will be high," said an onion farmer and Perambalur district secretary of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam V Neelakantan.Traders said that the supply of Bellary onion from Pune in Maharashtra has helped them meet the demand to some extent. The traders sell the onion for Rs 10 per kg to vendors who price it at Rs 15 per kg.

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