By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 22, 2015 : The rising onion prices across the country has impacted the common man here with onion prices crossing the Rs 50 per kg mark here on Friday with most people complaining that the government was not doing enough to contain the price rise.

The onion prices are likely to remain on the higher side till September-end according to the Nashik-based National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF).

The foundation also pointed out that out of the storage stock of 40 lakh tons in July this year, 50 percent has been consumed and only about 16-18 lakh tons is left over.

In the state capital here, onions were selling at Rs.50 per kg in retail, up from Rs 25 per kg just over a month ago.

“We have told our customers that onions will no longer be served as a salad item free of cost. They have to pay Rs 10 extra for extra onions,” Kumar Singh, a dhaba owner here said.

With the festival season round the corner, onion prices could breach the Rs 100 per kg mark soon, traders said here.

Onion prices have shot up because all the sown onion seeds got washed away due to rains. Now, the prices will only reduce if onions from Maharashtra get supplied. If onions do not come from Maharashtra, the high prices will prevail, according to the traders.

Some housewives are cutting down on onion usage in their homes.

The common man feels cheated by the continuous price rise of essential commodities, Rashmi a housewife added, blaming the Modi government for not doing enough to check onion prices.