scorecardresearch
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeIndiaOnions likely to touch Rs 100/kg by month-end, govt turns to imports...

Onions likely to touch Rs 100/kg by month-end, govt turns to imports to meet shortage

There’s a 30-40% dip in onion production due to excessive monsoon rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka — the two main onion-growing states.

Follow Us :
Text Size:

New Delhi: The retail price of onions, a key kitchen staple in India, is likely to touch Rs 100 per kg across the country by the end of November, owing to a 30-40 per cent dip in production.

The retail price of onions is already around Rs 70-80 per kg in Delhi.

The government’s estimates were presented at a price-monitoring committee meeting chaired by Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan Wednesday.

Sources in the ministry told ThePrint that the dip in production is due to excessive monsoon rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka — the two main onion-growing states.

“Total onion production across the country has been to the tune of 9 lakh tonnes between 1 October and 5 November, which should have been somewhere around 20 lakh tonnes,” a senior ministry official, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint.

According to the ministry’s data, the wholesale price of onions in Delhi has increased from Rs 49/kg to Rs 55/kg as on 31 October.

The ministry also attributed the rise in prices to cyclone Maha, which was expected to make landfall in Gujarat on 7 November, but is losing force, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

A second ministry official who attended the meeting told ThePrint that onion mandis in Gujarat have not opened for the last four days due to the cyclone warning.

“In October last year, 5,769 tonnes of onion arrived in Delhi. This has fallen to 4,315 tonnes this October, despite NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) and other agencies releasing their buffer stock,” the official added.

According to the ministry, the production of onion in the country stood at 232 lakh tonnes at the end of 2017, which increased to 234 lakh tonnes in 2018. But this year, the ministry said, the figure would stand between 150-160 lakh tonnes.

Immediate import of onions

To tackle the price rise, the government has already approved an immediate import of 5,500 metric tonnes (MT) of onions.

The second ministry official quoted above said the government would import 2,500 metric tonnes of onion from Egypt and the Netherlands.

“It will arrive in India in 80 containers with a ratio of 70:10 for Egypt and Netherlands, respectively,” the official added.

Additionally, the ministry has also written to the Ministry of External Affairs to push envoys in Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan to facilitate the import of onions to India.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture Wednesday relaxed fumigation and phytosanitary norms of imported onions until 30 November. The phytosanitary process checks whether a particular shipment has been treated to be free from harmful pests and plant diseases.


Also read: Told cook to make food without onions — Hasina tells Piyush Goyal in a dig at export ban


Govt’s previous measures to check price rise

The government has been trying to tackle the rise in onion prices since August, but has been unable to keep the prices in check. On 21 August, the government had directed Safal, the fresh fruit and vegetable retailing arm of Mother Dairy, to sell onions at Rs 23.90 per kg.

The government also asked NAFED and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) to sell onions at similar prices through their outlets and mobile vans.

In September, the government had also imposed a stock limit on onions and banned the export.


Also read: Onion export ban: Is it smart to always protect interest of the consumer over the farmer?


 

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular