Bengaluru: Onion prices leave chaat shops in tears

Bengaluru: Small-time vendors and chaat shops have been hit due to the steep rise in onion prices. Shops which are dependent on onions have either temporarily shut shop or substituted the pricey commodity with other vegetables.

Onion samosa, one of the favourite snacks prepared in Namma Bengaluru is now being sold by many for namesake by substituting it with cabbage.   

“We sell thousands of samosas daily. We prepare it in bulk and the small traders buy it from us. As the price of onions has touched a historical high in recent times, we are using cabbage, carrot and others for stuffing the samosa,” said a samosa vendor from Mavalli.

Many hotels and shops have also stopped giving onions in their salads and are substituting them with cucumber.

Chicken Kabab, another lip-smacking dish is being made and sold without onions in many places. "Usually the kabab shops provide onion slices with a slice of lemon. As rates have almost multiplied five times, the shops are now forced to give the customers only a lemon slice along with the green chilli chutney,” said Mr Yuvaraj, a customer of a kabab outlet at Chamarajpet.

The use of onions have come down drastically to a trickle in popular chaat items such as Masala Puri, Pani Puri, Bhel Puri, groundnut masala, Gobi Manchurian, non-veg Manchurians due to prohibitive price of the commodity.

Traders lament that they are unable to afford onions and also fear losing their customers if they hike the prices of snacks that they make and sell.

Sources in the onion market at Yeshwanthpur and Mandipet say that the price of the commodity is likely to plummet to Rs 20-30 a kilo only by the end of January after the farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka finish harvesting the new crop and send it into the supply chain.