Hyderabad: With price hitting Rs 200, low-grade onion only choice

HYDERABAD: Wonder why hotels and restaurants have reduced their use of onions for your favorite dishes? Here is the reason, Grade-1 quality onions, which are imported from Maharashtra’s Solapur and other areas, have touched the Rs 200/kg mark. Though traders procure the onions at a rate of around Rs 140- 150 per kilo from the city’s markets in Malakpet and Bowenpally, by the time they reach consumers and hotels, the price soars to Rs 200.
There are three qualities of onions which the city gets, the Grade-1 quality onions which come from the old crop and is procured from Maharashtra; Grade-II onions which come from Karnataka and Grade-III which are procured from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh and erstwhile Mahabubnagar.

Grade-1 onions procured from Maharashtra, also called “Old Gadda” (old vaiety), gives more flavour and is used to prepare crowd favourites such as the biryani and a myriad of dishes served in Chinese restaurants. “We had to cut down on our usage of Grade-1 and 2 varieties as we are merely small business operators,” said K Viswa, owner of a Chinese eatery in Himayatnagar. In the markets, Grade-1 onions also go by the name ‘Hotel Onion.’
The second variety or Grade-II onions is preferred for household consumption and has a higher price than that of Grade-III onions. “We are hoping for more arrivals from Maharashtra and Karnataka by next week and after the arrival of the rabi crop onions to markets, prices are expected to come down,” said a hopeful Venkatesham, who is in charge of the Malakpet market.
Price cards show that even in the wholesale markets have shot up since November 22 and have touched the Rs 100 mark.
While prices have left both eateries and households scrambling for substitutes, Egyptian onions are still to reach the city’s markets.