The wholesale prices of country onions have fallen by 40 percent in the last one week. On the other hand, onion imported from abroad does not appear to be any taker and 7 thousand ton imported onion is rotting at the port of Mumbai.
A few months ago, when the prices of onions had reached a high of Rs 150, the government decided to import from abroad. However, after getting relief in domestic market, imported onion has started to rot. According to the reports of agencies, 7 thousand tons of onion imported from outside is rotting at JNPT in Mumbai. This onion has been imported at the price of Rs 45 per kg, while the price has reached Rs 24 per kg in the wholesale market.
Onion prices fell for the fifth consecutive day in the wholesale markets of the country on Tuesday. Price has fallen by 40 percent in a week. On Tuesday, the price of onion was Rs 24 per kg in Lasalgaon Mandi, located in Nashik district of Maharashtra. This is a decline of around 40 percent at the rate of Rs 40 per kg on January 20. Before this price of onion was seen on 6 November. Due to this, the price of retail onion has reached 40 to 44 rupees per kg.
In such a situation, the importers are not in a hurry to evacuate the goods. 7,000 tons of imported onions kept in 250 refrigerated containers have been rotting at JNPT in Mumbai for a month.
80 Percent Imported Onion Feared to Rot
A few days ago, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan also said that the central government is giving onions at the rate of Rs 55 per kg to the states. The government has so far ordered 24,500 tonnes of onions from abroad, while a total of 40,000 tonnes of imports have been done. But the states have raised only 2,000 tonnes of onions, so now there is growing concern about the remaining 89% onion rot. He said that the state governments are refusing to take imported onions.
Recently, the arrival of new onions has increased in the mandis, due to which the prices of onion have come down. Farmers have planted a good crop in the Rabi season due to increase in onion prices and the area of onion is estimated to be 9.34 lakh hectare in the current season, compared to 7.6 lakh hectare in the Rabi season last year.
It may be known that due to heavy rains in the past monsoon, the onion crop had reduced in the country due to the onion crop deteriorating in the kharif season, due to which onion prices skyrocketed. Therefore, in order to keep the price of onion under control, the central government had banned the export of onion in September last year.
