India, Sept. 19 -- Retail onion prices are holding above Rs.50 per kg despite government interventions, with supply constraints expected to keep the market firm through September and October. Fresh kharif crop arrivals, delayed by the late monsoon, are expected to bring some relief from November, experts said.

The all-India average retail price of onion was Rs.53.86 per kg on September 18, 95% higher than the Rs.27.6 a year earlier, according to Department of Consumer Affairs data. The average wholesale price was Rs.45.76 per kg on the same day, more than double the Rs.21.51 a year earlier.

The government has been releasing onions from its price-stabilisation buffer at a subsidised Rs.35 per kg through the cooperatives NCCF (National Co...