Onion Republic?

‘Power of onion’ is a hoax; factors that cause prise rise in onion and other vegetable are same

- Sathya Raghu

Onion is the Indian voter’s most lethal weapon on the ruling party. We saw this in the ‘onion election’ of 1980 when the Janata Party was knocked out.

In 1998, after five nuclear tests and chest-thumping about nationalism, onion prices could not make the BJP shine. In the 2014 general elections, the Congress paid a heavy price for the onion crisis.

Onion, which is the political equivalent of a terror threat in India, crossed ₹140 per kilogram last week, and continues to set record-high prices.

Interestingly, the demand for onion doesn’t vary much. You can’t substitute this with any other vegetable, as agricultural economist Ashok Gulati said.

Myths in ‘onionomics’

Interestingly, onion is not a staple. It accounts for less than 1 per cent of India’s food production. The per-capita consumption of onion is less than a kilogram per month, 800 grams to be precise. Take the example of a family of five. They require 4 kg of onion a month.