A disease which was found out in 40 % of the onions harvested last week, has caused onion prices to rise dramatically. The price of onions almost doubled from 0.5 USD to 0.80 USD per kg.
Turkish Wholesalers Market Association Chairman, Yuksel Tavsan, said: “The reason behind the price increase is a shortage of supply due to disease. As it is with every product, there is balance between demand and supply which sets the price level. If there is a significant shift in one way or another in supply or demand, then the prices are naturally affected. In these cases, it is very difficult to control the price levels.
There is a disease in onions and potatoes this season and there are simply not enough products in the market. If the prices continue to increase, then the purchasing power of people will decline. Potatoes and onions are the main staples for Turkish people so the government should really pay close attention to the market and intervene if necessary, when they notice some middlemen stockpiling onions and potatoes to create a bigger shortage of supply and drive the prices even higher.
The price of onions was just 0.50 USD per kg last week and now suddenly it has shot up. I hope this is temporary but it does not appear so. If necessary, onions could be imported and exports could be directed to the domestic market, but we need to protect the consumers.”
Some wholesalers predict that the prices will continue to rise due to the shortage of supply.
Source: Yeni Alanya