Onions are used in every other dish in the kitchen and a hike in onion prices has turned it into a luxury item for many. During 2019-20, there was a 3-4 weeks delay in sowing as well as the decline in sown area of the Kharif onion because of the late arrival of monsoon, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had said.

Further, untimely prolonged rains in major growing states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh during the harvesting period caused damage to the standing crops in these regions.