After onion, potato prices have also started heading north.

The tuber, which was available in market at Rs 15 per kg a month ago, is being sold at Rs 25 per kg and more at some markets in the steel city. The new potato, which is tastier than the old potato, is selling at Rs 30 per kg.

In Ranchi too, new potatoes were selling at Rs 28-30 per kg, and old ones between rs 18 and Rs 20 a kg.

“Till recently I had stopped buying onion in bulk given its unusual prices, but now I have to think while buying potato as well. The prices of staples are going up as if in competition,” said Harpal Singh, a resident of Gurudwara Bustee in Bistupur.

He said his family needs 5kg of potato and 2kg of onion a week, but now they were making do with 4kg of potatoes and 1kg of onions.

“Winter season is considered to be a season of green vegetables and cheaper potatoes and onions. The prices of vegetables are alright, but the prices of onions and potatoes are pinching my pocket,” said Sakchi resident Shailendra Prasad.

He too said he had cut down on onions and potatoes.

Awadh Kishore, a wholesale potato trader, blamed untimely rain during the Diwali period.

“The potato prices have gone up because the potato crop was damaged due to the unusual rainfall during Diwali, resulting in farmers sowing fresh seeds of potato. The farmers will reap the new crop in around a month’s time when the prices will go down considerably,” Kishore said.

He said potato traders who had kept stocks the cold storages were selling the stock now, and as the stock is getting exhausted in the storage the traders are selling the item at a higher price.

“We expect the prices of onion will remain the same — Rs 100 a kg — but the price of potatoes will further go up until the new crop lands here. Prices of onion will become normal — come down by Rs 15 or Rs 20 per kg — by mid-January,” said Kishore.

About 10 truckloads of potatoes and two truckloads of onions come every day to the steel city, but now only five truckloads of potatoes and one truckload of onion have been coming. While most of the potatoes come from Bengal, the onions come from Nashik in Maharashtra.

A potato retailer, Pravin Kumar, confirmed that sales had gone down considerably during the past one week.

“We are not selling enough onions or potatoes as the buyers are avoiding them due to the price hike,” said Pravin who has his shop at Bistupur.