Nearly 1,000 tonnes of Afghanistan onion arriving in a week: reports

The onion trade has been so brisk that Afghanistan's ambassador to India, Shaida Mohammad Abdali, said India and Afghanistan should make maximum use of the land and rail routes through Wagah and Attari.

''This, however, is only possible if goods from Kabul flow through Pakistan's territory smoothly to reach India,'' Abdali noted addressing entrepreneurs during an interactive session organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) on Thursday.

The envoy, who also visited the Wagah checkpost and the Attari railway station, was trying to get a first-hand information on volume of trade among three countries and for reviving business ties with India through Wagah.

Onion supplies from Afghanistan have surged in the past few days with about 1,000 tonnes of the kitchen staple coming to India each day through Attari-Wagah land route, say traders.

As the import feasibility level is high in case of Afghanistan, supplies may continue for the next 15-20 days, they said.

"Onion import from Afghanistan has increased as daily 20-25 big trucks carrying about 1,000 tonnes of commodity are coming into India through Attari-Wagah land route," PTI quoted Rajdeep Uppal, former chairman of CII (Amritsar zone), as saying.

"Imports from Afghanistan are likely to continue for about 15-20 days," said Uppal.

Imported supplies are going to Punjab, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, UT Chandigarh and Haryana, traders said.

Imported onions have helped in curbing the rising prices of commodity and the impact is being visible on the wholesale prices.

However, onion is still selling at Rs55-60 per kg in the retail market in several parts of the country.