Onion prices zoom ahead of imports reaching Mumbai port
27 Nov 2019
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Onion prices have crossed the Rs100-1-kg mark while prices of the smaller variety reached levels around Rs130 per kg in the wholesale market even as the centre has contracted imports of 6,090 tonnes of onions from Egypt.
Wholesale price of onion in Coimbatore city on Tuesday was ?95 a kg for the big onion from Maharashtra and between ?100 and ?130 a kg for small onions.
Onion from Egypt is expected to arrive in Mumbai in early December and these will be offered to state governments for distribution at the rate of Rs52-55 per kg ex-Mumbai and will also be made available at the rate of Rs60 per kg ex-Delhi.
The centre is assessing state-wise demand via video conferencing. Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Avinash K Srivastava on Tuesday held video conferencing with state government, following letters sent to chief secretaries of all states on 23 November in this regard.
MMTC has placed order for the first consignment of 6,090 tonnes of onions from Egypt which will be arriving at Nhava Sheva (JNPT), Mumbai.
State governments may take the stock from the location on their own and also have the option of getting transportation facilitated through NAFED, if required. The supply of imported onions will begin from early December onwards.
For Delhi, while the demand from the state government is yet to be assessed, NAFED has informed that it will retail onions through its own outlets and those of Mother Dairy, Kendriya Bhandar and NCCF. The total demand received so far from various state governments for the first week is 2265 tonnes, which includes demand from Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala and Sikkim and also includes the demand of NAFED for supplies in Delhi. Other states have been requested to indicate their demand at the earliest so that the same can be facilitated by the union government.
