TL;DR: Onion prices have risen sharply, with average retail prices climbing about 90%, from ₹29.5/kg on 1 June to ₹56.1/kg on 10 September 2026. Onion price spikes are not new, but the latest rise comes amid a highly concentrated supply chain, with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh accounting for 57.7% of 2025-26 production. Retail prices rose across every state and Union Territory with comparable data, though the increase varied widely.

Context

The price of Onions can quietly change the cost of a meal and many foods that people consume. A few extra rupees per kilogram may not seem significant, but the cumulative effect becomes noticeable when prices rise sharply and remain elevated.

Daily price data from the Department of Consumer Affairs shows that onion prices have gone through several major spikes over the past 13 years. The latest rise stands out as another sharp increase, with the average retail price across states nearly doubling between June and September 2026.

Who Compiles This Data?
The daily onion price data comes from the Department of Consumer Affairs, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The dataset is updated daily and provides wholesale and retail prices at the state level.
Where can I download Clean & Structured Data on Onion Prices and Production?

Clean, structured datasets on onion prices and agricultural production can be downloaded from Dataful here and here.

Key Insights

Multiple Spikes in Onion Prices over the Past 13 Years

Data for the last many years shows that onion prices can move sharply within relatively short periods. Some of the most prominent spikes occurred in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023.

• 2015: Prices reached ₹67 per kg in August as falling stored rabi stocks and delays to the kharif crop tightened supplies.

• 2017: Prices reached ₹63 per kg in November amid lower kharif acreage, delayed arrivals and concerns about hoarding and black marketing.

• 2019: The largest spike in the series reached ₹118 per kg in December. Delayed monsoon sowing followed by prolonged September and October rainfall damaged crops in major producing states, sharply reducing kharif production.

• 2023: Prices reached ₹80 per kg in October as depleted rabi stocks and delayed kharif arrivals tightened availability.

The 2019 episode was particularly severe. Kharif onion production was estimated at 54.73 lakh tonnes, down from 69.91 lakh tonnes the previous year, a decline of about 22%.

These episodes show a recurring pattern: onion prices are particularly vulnerable when seasonal supplies are disrupted by weather, delayed crop arrivals or falling inventories.

Onion Prices Have Nearly Doubled Since June

The latest increase was over a period of just three months. The average retail onion price across states rose from ₹29.5 per kg on 1 June to ₹56.1 per kg on 10 September, a 90% increase in just over three months.

Wholesale prices increased even faster, from ₹22.6 per kg to ₹46.2 per kg, or about 105% over the same period. The increase is not limited to what consumers see at retail shops but also in wholesale markets, pointing to pressure earlier in the supply chain.

Recent reports from major consuming states have similarly linked higher prices to tighter arrivals. In Telangana, for example, traders reported lower arrivals from Maharashtra and other producing regions, while Odisha traders attributed higher prices partly to limited supplies from Karnataka and higher prices in Maharashtra’s wholesale markets.

More Than Half of India's Onion Production Comes From Two States

India’s onion production is concentrated among a relatively small number of states. In 2025-26, Maharashtra produced 13.05 million tonnes, accounting for 42.4% of India’s onion production, while Madhya Pradesh produced 4.70 million tonnes, or 15.3%. Together, the two states accounted for 57.7% of India’s total onion production.

Other major producers included:

• Gujarat: 2.61 million tonnes (8.5%)

• Karnataka: 2.15 million tonnes (7.0%)

• Rajasthan: 1.64 million tonnes (5.3%)

• Bihar: 1.34 million tonnes (4.4%)

• Andhra Pradesh: 0.87 million tonnes (2.8%)

• West Bengal: 0.82 million tonnes (2.7%)

• Uttar Pradesh: 0.81 million tonnes (2.6%)

• All other states: 2.76 million tonnes (9.0%)

This concentration helps explain why problems in a few states can affect markets elsewhere. For example, Andhra Pradesh relies on supplies from Maharashtra when its own Kurnool crop is affected, while Odisha traders have reported increased dependence on Maharashtra when supplies from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are limited.

In other words, an onion grown in Maharashtra can ultimately affect the price paid by a household hundreds of kilometres away.

Retail Onion Prices Have Risen Across India

The latest increase is not confined to a few states or markets. Retail onion prices increased in every state and Union Territory with comparable data for both dates. The increase ranged from 27.7% in Mizoram to 172.7% in Haryana.

The largest increases were recorded in Haryana (172.7%), followed by Punjab (139.9%), Madhya Pradesh (136.6%), Kerala (132.5%), Odisha (131.2%), Chandigarh (128.0%), Telangana (127.5%), Uttar Pradesh (125.8%) and Maharashtra (124.9%).

Even states with comparatively smaller increases saw substantial price rises. Mizoram’s retail price increased by 27.7%, while Ladakh’s increased by 30%. The wide variation shows that the national price rise is being felt differently across markets.

Why Does It Matter? 

The current spike isn’t an isolated event. It is the latest in a pattern of onion price surges seen roughly every few years. While past episodes were often linked to widespread crop damage, this time the pressure appears more localised, with tighter arrivals from key sources such as Maharashtra and Karnataka.

This matters because India’s onion supply is highly concentrated, as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh together account for more than 50% of national production, so disruptions in either state can affect markets hundreds of kilometres away. The fact that retail prices rose across every state and Union Territory, with comparable data, shows how widely these supply pressures can spread.

For consumers, this can quickly increase household food costs, adding to inflation. For farmers, higher prices can mean better prices, but only depending on the vagaries of weather and markets.

Key Numbers

• Average All-India retail onion price increase, 1 June to 10 September 2026:
  ₹29.5/kg → ₹56.1/kg (+90%)

• Average All-India wholesale onion price increase, 1 June to 10 September 2026:
  ₹22.6/kg → ₹46.2/kg (+105%)

• India’s onion production (in million tonnes):
  2021-22: 31.3 → 2023-24: 24.2 → 2025-26: 30.7

• Top 5 producing states in 2025-26 (in million tonnes):
  Maharashtra (13.05), Madhya Pradesh (4.70), Gujarat (2.61), Karnataka (2.15), Rajasthan (1.64)