According to official sources, a surge in onion prices across both wholesale and retail markets nationwide is solely attributed to speculative factors, despite the availability of 15-20 lakh tonnes of rabi crop stock in a few states sufficient to meet the demand for a month. The sudden spike in onion prices cannot be attributed to a potential decline in fresh kharif output and a two-week delay in arrival. There exists an ample supply of old crop stock to fulfil domestic demand, and the government has maintained a buffer stock of 5 lakh tonnes.