The humble onion

So the humble onion is in the news again and yes , its bringing tears to peoples eyes. Will it make them weep ? That is the question everyone is asking

Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh , West Bengal , Karnataka and Bihar account for most of the onions grown in the country . Maharashtra accounts for one third of that total with its onion belt of Nashik, Ahmednagar , Pune and Aurangabad . As a large part of the state was facing drought this year, the onion was the only hope for farmers to survive.Unfortunately rates never picked up for the entire season and the farmers are not only disgruntled - they are very angry . And an angry farmer in a country like India is not a very good sign .

Farmers blame the central government’s policies for the fall in onion rates. “This government works for the middle class in big cities. To keep them happy, this government controls onion prices. Why is it that every time only farmers are forced to face problems"

In 2010, the prices of onion, in India rose to ₹ 88 from ₹ 25 (per kg) in just one week. The Government had to ban the export of onions and even had to import it from another country .

The Great Onion Crisis of 2010” haunted Mr Manmohan Singh’s government and was something he wished had never happened .

Something similar happened in the year 1980. Due to the sky rocketing prices of onions, the Central government was toppled .

In 1998, once again the prices of onions rose very high leading to a ban on export & affecting the common man . This led to the fall of BJP government in the State elections in Delhi.

In a country like India, where the majority of the population, still, is either spending or making their largest share of income on food items, such rise or fall of prices of basic ingredient can be catastrophic .

Is anybody listening ?