New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI): With onion prices skyrocketing to as much as Rs 85 per kg in some retail markets, the Indian government today said it has brought down customs duty on imports of the commodity to zero from 5 per cent.

'The customs duty on onions has been brought down to zero,' Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla told reporters.

The step comes amid a sharp rise in the price of onions up to Rs 70-85 per kg in retail markets across the country from just Rs 35-40 a few days ago on account of damage suffered by crops in the key-producing states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and a few Southern states due to excessive rains, which has led to large-scale hoarding by some traders.

Onion free on purchase of tyre

With spiralling onion prices bringing tears in most of the eyes in the country, a tyre seller in Jamshedpur has offered to sell the vegetable free of cost, on the purchase of a tyre from his shop.

'We are offering five kg onion free on the purchase of a truck tyre and one kg on the purchase of a car tyre,' Satnam Singh Gambhir, a tyre seller of Kalimati Road in Sakchi said.