Navi Mumbai: Onion prices to remain high during festival season; will stablize only by next year

Navi Mumbai: Onion prices to remain high during festival season; will stablize only by next year

Onion prices have gone up as the supply of Kharif crops was affected following heavy rainfall in several states

Amit SrivastavaUpdated: Thursday, October 21, 2021, 05:25 PM IST
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Representative Image | Pixabay

There will be no respite for homemakers as the price of onions is likely to remain high during the festival season. Only after Diwali, with the arrival of Kharif crops, will the prices of onion will come down.

However, the drop in prices won't last long as majority of the Kharif crops were damaged due to heavy rainfall in several states. Hence, the supply will be affected again.

According to traders at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Vashi, the price of onion will stabilize only after the Rabi crops arrive, which is likely to happen by February-March next year. “The Rabi onion contributes to 70 percent of the total onion production. At the same time, the Kharif onion contributes very little but plays an important role in maintaining supply during the lean period of September-November,” said Manohar Patel, an onion trader at APMC. However, during October-November, there is a number of major festivals and even a small dip in supply creates a big problem.

The rainfall during the last leg of the monsoon damaged crops in many states including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and also few areas in Maharashtra. “Currently, we are receiving onions from stocks and farmers from Maharashtra,” said another trader.

Normally, the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Vashi receives around 110 to 140 trucks laden with onion per day. However, for the last few days, the supply has come down and the number of trucks arriving at the market is around 60 to 80 which is insufficient to meet the requirement. The Vashi APMC supplies essential commodities to the MMR area and a dip in supply affects its prices across the MMR.

According to traders, the price of premium quality onion is around Rs 48 to 55 per kg in the wholesale market. “The market has received poor quality onions. A chunk of the stock is of wet onions, that rot very fast. The recovery of the cost will be very difficult for both the wholesaler and retailer,” said the trader.

Rashi Shaikh, a vegetable retailer from Belapur says that only wet onions are available in the market that cannot be kept for a long time. “Wet onions need to be consumed immediately else they will rot,” said Shaikh, adding that the price of onion has already touched Rs 70 to 80 per kg.

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