Onion wholesale price jumps nearly to K3,000 per viss

The wholesale price of onion in the Yangon market reaches nearly K3,000 per viss (a viss equals 1.6 kilogrammes), Ko Aung, a buyer at Nyaungpinlay market, told the Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).
That price is five times higher than the prices recorded in the corresponding period of 2021 and 2020. The onion price increased from K2,050 on 1 August to K2,700 on 20 August, indicating the price rise of K650 per viss, Ko Aung said.
On 1 August, the wholesale prices stood at K1,350-1,950 per viss of onion from Seikphyu Township and K1,400-2,050 per viss of onion from Monywa Township.
The prices climbed to K2,000-2,600 per viss of onions from Seikphyu Township and K2,150-2,700 per viss of onions from Monywa Township on 20 August.
About 100,000 visses of onions are daily supplied to Yangon markets. The highest prices of onions in regions and states other than Yangon is K2,500 per viss of onion from the Seikphyu area and K3,000 from the Pakokku area.
On 20 August 2021, the wholesale prices were K360-475 per viss. During the same period in 2020, the onions were priced at K450-500 per viss.
The prices hit a record high of K3,700 per viss in 2015 and 2019. However, the onion prices registered on 20 August of the years 2015 and 2019 were still lower than the current market price, a market observer U Khin Maung Win shared this information with the GNLM.
Approximately 1.8 million visses of onions are stockpiled in the warehouses of Pakokku Township, a resident Ko Lay Aung speculated.
On 21 August 2022, no onion truck was seen at the Bayintnaung Commodity Wholesale Market, Ma Ei from the onion warehouse on Yetama Street said.
Onion traders are expecting the price to rise to K3,000 per viss. When onion price skyrockets, imported onions are likely to flood the domestic market, a trader shared his opinion. —TWA/GNLM