Onion wholesale prices in India nearly fourfold in a year; potato cheaper, tomato mixed

Wholesale onion prices have become the biggest pressure point in India's vegetable basket: the average mandi price rose to Rs 3,736.61 a quintal on 15 September 2026, against Rs 946.60 a year earlier, an increase of nearly 295% and a sharp reversal of the subdued prices of September 2025. Within the month the market has repriced too, climbing from Rs 2,422.80 on 15 August to Rs 3,656.71 by 25 August, Rs 3,539.67 on 1 September, Rs 3,702.51 on 8 September and Rs 3,736.61 on 15 September, about 54% above mid-August, though the pace has slowed since the late-August jump.

The year-on-year comparison is stark but carries a base effect: on 15 September 2024 the mandi price was Rs 3,924.18 a quintal, so today's level is still slightly below two years ago; it is against the unusually low Rs 946.60 of September 2025 that the market has recovered nearly fourfold, a genuine tightening on top of a low base.

Potato remains in a much softer regime. Its wholesale price was Rs 789.80 a quintal on 15 September, up from Rs 716.57 on 15 August and Rs 723.80 on 25 August, a gradual firming of about 10% over the month, but about 26% below the Rs 1,071.91 of the same day in 2025 and nearly 63% below the Rs 2,128.36 of September 2024.

Tomato sits in between: from Rs 1,784.91 a quintal on 15 August it fell to Rs 1,646.12 on 25 August, climbed to Rs 1,914.86 on 1 September, then eased to Rs 1,868.55 on 8 September and Rs 1,692.44 on 15 September, about 5% below mid-August and nearly 12% under the 1 September peak, yet still about 21% above the Rs 1,402.67 of a year earlier and well below the Rs 2,333.05 of September 2024.

Taken together, the three show a vegetable market moving in different directions, onion escalating year on year, potato structurally cheaper despite its recovery, tomato oscillating within a narrower range, which is why, the analysis argues, momentum in each commodity will be more informative for consumers, traders and policymakers in the coming weeks than a single aggregate vegetable-price signal.

Source: AgroSpectrum