Skyrocketing tomato prices had forced Boring Road resident Veena Gupta to replace tomato with tomato puree in her household budget. Now, Veena is trying to get an alternative for onions.

She said: 'Around 15 days ago, onions were being sold at Rs 15 to 20 per kg in the retail market. Now the price has shot up to between Rs 35 and 38 per kg. Onion sellers are claiming that the price is likely to increase further after Sawan. Sawan will end on Monday. Tomato on the other hand is available between Rs 60 and Rs 65 per kg. There is no relief in sight. We only have to depend on alternatives. As far as onion's alternative is concerned, I have not found any. I am just going to cut down onion consumption.'

The onion wholesalers in the Mithapur and Anta Ghat areas told The Telegraph that on Sunday they sold the vegetable between Rs 25 and 30 per kg respectively while The Telegraph found the retail price at Boring Road and other areas between Rs 35 and 38.

In normal circumstances, onions are available at something between Rs 8 and 12 in the wholesale market and between Rs 15 and Rs 20 in the retail market.

Sujeet Kumar, an onion wholesaler in the Mithapur area, however, attributed the steep rise of onions to hoarding at Nashik, Maharashtra, from where the state capital sources 80 per cent of its onion and also at the local level.

He said: 'Onion prices had come down during June. We were selling onions between Rs 5 and Rs 8 per kg during that time in the wholesale market as we had supply from Madhya Pradesh and Nashik. Presently, the onion price has been hiked because traders in Nashik have purchased onions from local farmers but releasing stocks in the market very slowly. They are engaged in hoarding due to which the prices have increased. The onion price has increased in the past 15 days. Two days back, the wholesale rate of onions was Rs 22 per kg while four days ago, the wholesale rate of onions was Rs 20 per kg. On the other hand, retailers who couldn't sell their available stock due to Sawan are selling their old stocks at increased rates.'

Onion prices go up after Sawan because the demand increases but the supply remains the same. Many families resist from using onion in food during the holy month.

The Telegraph team found local onions being sold at around the same price as the ones being sourced from Nashik. Rajendra Choudhary, a retailer at the Anta Ghat area, reasoned that owing to flooding at the Jalla area in Patna City where local onions are grown, the price of local onions had increased.

Rajendra was selling local onions at Rs 35 per kg while he was selling Nashik onions at Rs 36 per kg. 'The Nashik onion price has increased due to floods in Nashik,' said Rajendra.

Sujeet, an onion wholesaler at Mithapur Mandi, however, refuted any flood-like situation in Nashik and the local market. 'The retailers are trying to fool residents by putting forward such theories of price hike. We are expecting onion prices to shoot up to Rs 30 or 35 per kg in the wholesale market within the next two days,' he said.