Onion prices brought down to Rs 25 a kilo

Onion prices brought down to Rs 25 a kilo
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, DEC 28
Goa government today further slashed down prices of onions from Rs 35 to Rs 25 per kg which will be made available through outlets of the Goa Horticulture Corporation.
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat announced this relief after holding the meeting with officials.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Subhash Shirodkar was also present for the meeting.
Goa State Horticulture Corporation Chairman Sankalp Amonkar said that they have been able to reduce the prices as the wholesale rate of onions have gone down after all time high last week.
“We now get onion for Rs 35 per kg on wholesale rate. We decided to pass on this benefit to the consumer by making it available at Rs 25,” he said.
The corporation has decided to sell onions through its 348 outlets all over the State and also through 15 vans which covers 240 places. Each consumer will be entitled for two kg onions.
Amonkar said that initially onions were available at the wholesale rate of Rs 45 to Rs 51 when corporation was selling it for Rs 35. Now since the prices have crashed further, the corporation can sell it for Rs 25.
Goa gets 40 to 50 tonnes of onions every day from Nasik as there is no local production.
“Even if there is small quantity of production, than it is consumed by local population without selling it in the market,” Amonkar said.
The corporation officials said that the onion prices have made people visit their outlets.
“We were having 50,000 foot falls daily on an average but when we began giving onions at subsidized rates, the foot fall has increased to 75,000,” he said.
He said that the State government has agreed to bear the difference between rate in which the onions are procured and rate in which they are sold.
Responding to a question, Amonkar stated that the corporation’s action of slashing down the prices has nothing to do with Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) act of selling onions for Rs 30.
“They did it only for one day and in four constituencies while we are covering entire Goa. If it was really affordable for them to sell onions than they would have continued,” he said adding that it was mere political stunt by BJP.
“Horticulture corporation is covering entire Goa and we are reaching almost all the households. We are not here to make political stunts but want to prove that the Kamat-led government is really concerned about common man,” Amonkar claimed.