TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The all India surge in onion prices due to hoarding and slow release of stocks by Nashik based growers has engulfed the local markets with onions at Horticulture department outlets selling at rates higher than petrol in the state for the past two days.
Dry onions were selling at Rs 66 per kg at Horticulture kiosks for the past two days with wet onions selling for Rs 46. The current price of petrol, even with the recent hike, stands at Rs 62.72 per litre in Goa. However, in the retail market the wet onions were selling at rates in excess of Rs 70.
Dry onions are the onions that have been dried and last longer while the wet ones have to be dried for them to last even 5-6 days.
“The department is selling dry onions for Rs 66 and wet ones for Rs 46,” Orlando Rodrigues, MD horticulture department told Herald Saturday. He said that by Monday the rates are expected to drop slightly. However, according to him dry onions are difficult to obtain and the wet onions available in the market at present are not of good quality.
Onion prices have been yo yoing but in August they seemed to have stabilized briefly. However, prices of other vegetables have not risen significantly. The corporation however is providing relief to people in Goa by selling fruits at prices which are 30% lower than the prevailing market rates amidst all round inflation.
“The first consignment was given to the carts on Thursday; the next one will be delivered on Monday. It is doing well (sale of fruits),” Rodrigues said adding that for example apples were being sold for Rs 72 per kg while outside it was being sold for a minimum of Rs 120. The price of onions has shot up in almost all metros as it is believed that prices quoted in Pune has become the bench mark for all markets.
Reports suggest that the shortage is artificial and traders will rake in the moolah for some more time, as previous trends suggest that domestic onion prices tend to peak during the festival season between September to November and decline between January-March every year.
Onions in Punjab have touched Rs 70 a kilo, leading traders to import onions from Afghanistan through the Attari-Wagah land route in Amritsar. India last imported onions from Pakistan in 2011 when a similar shortage occurred.
