In September 2026, a kilogram of onion cost 93% more than last year, while sugar prices were up 28% and rice was up about 8%, on average, according to ISignal’s Food Price Watch dashboard, which uses Department of Consumer Affairs data. This is in a year with the fourth lowest rainfall since the turn of the century, as the country approaches the withdrawal of the monsoon with a 13% deficit.
Sustained low prices in past years pushed farmers away from onion, experts say, while the government lists factors such as increased demand and speculation for the increase in sugar prices.
