Rise in supplies of late kharif onion crop has not only lead to sharp fall in retail prices during the last few days, it has also ensured that onion imported from Pakistan have no takers now.
Onions imported from Pakistan, when prices hit the sky just a month back for augmenting supplies, now find few takers as not only domestic prices have soften but also it has ?varied taste?.
On Monday, at the Lasalgaon wholesale market in Nashik, the country?s hub of onion trade, the average wholesale prices of onion have been around Rs 1,300 per quintal against Rs 3500 per quintal prevailed just a month back.
?With the rise in transport cost and mandi tax, the retail prices would be around Rs 22- Rs 25 per kg across most of the cities over the next few days,? a trader from Nashik told FE.
Meanwhile, with a drop in retail prices across the country, the government has decided to discontinue the sale of subsidised onion from Tuesday onwards. Nafed, National Consumers Cooperative Federation (NCCF) and Kendriya Bhandar was selling subsidised onion through their retail outlets during last one month or so.
Out of the 800 tonne of onions from Pakistan that have reached Delhi so far and have been put up for open auction and during last one week about 300 tonne lies unsold. Onions imported from Pakistan by the government were handed over to agri-cooperative Nafed upon arrival in the national capital from the Mundra port in Gujarat.
The latest crop prospect reports by NHDRF said that late kharif onion growing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa where harvesting of late kharif crop started and will continue till mid of March 2011. ?Present crop condition is medium to good. The harvesting of late kharif crop in Maharashtra and Gujarat expected to be in full swing during February,? the report said.
Maharashtra is the biggest onion producer in the country. In December, because of huge jump in onion price due to kharif crop failure had pushed up food inflation to one-year peak, resulting in criticism against a government. The high price forced the government to ban exports and placed orders of imports from Pakistan.
Thomas for more wholesale markets in Delhi
The Centre on Monday asked the Delhi government to prepare a proposal for setting up more wholesale markets in Delhi to break possible cartelisation in essential food items. The decision was taken at a meeting, called by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and attended by food and consumer affairs minister K V Thomas and Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.?We have suggested to the Delhi government to come out with a proposal for the creation of farmer mandis and private market terminals,? Thomas said.