Not used to anyone inspecting their books, onion traders have not taken lightly to the govt's efforts to find the hoarders and others indulging in mass-scale wrongdoing and launched a strike that will hit consumers' pockets even more. However, they have said that they are being forced to sell under even the production cost. Understandably, but there were not many takers for that view. Traders in Nashik and adjoining areas today went...

After the onion onslaught, milk misery. Amul has decided to raise milk prices by Re 1 to Rs 2 a litre, setting the stage for similar hikes by other producers across the country. Dairy products such as butter, ghee and cheese are likely to become dearer, too. The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, which sells products under the Amul brand, said the higher prices would be effective from December 30 in Gujarat...

If the price rise is due to production shortfall, how does one explain the near doubling of the price within a few days? The sharply rising onion prices have raised the suspicion that speculators are manipulating a shortage situation. First, a few facts. In retail markets, onion prices have soared from Rs 10-11 per kg in June to as high as Rs 70-80 on Dec 21. Even more significantly, prices zoomed by...

Food prices globally are rising to dangerous levels. There is talk of a coming crisis, like the ones that produced riots around the world in 2008 and 1974. Many of the ingredients of a disaster are present, but governments can stop the problem before it causes too much damage. A warning sign is the price of traded staples like wheat, corn and rice. Prices shot up in 2010, soaring 26...

Stung by the skyrocketing retail prices of onion in the country, the Centre on Thursday announced abolition of import duties and banned its exports for an indefinite period. Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, who is personally monitoring the situation, asked the State governments to take strong action against hoarders. He asked the Commerce Ministry to import onions to cool down prices. The government directed its three trading companies — STC, PEC and MMTC...