Now, Onions To Be Imported From Afghanistan; Fall In Price Remote!

Bhubaneswar: Onions continue to leave everyone teary-eyed and the price is unlikely to drop in the near future.

As informed by Chhatra Bazar Byabasayee Mahasangh secretary Debendra Sahu on Friday, the daily transaction of onion at Lasalgaon in Maharashtra, the largest onion procurement centre in Asia, has gone up from 12,000 to 13,000 quintals. But the price is still high with demand exceeding the supply.

Sahu said that the Centre had imported onion from Egypt to meet the shortfall, but there is no demand for this variety due to its large size and poor taste. “Besides, import of onion from Turkey and Sri Lanka has stopped due to restrictions. Now, we hear that the Centre has decided to imports onion from Afghanistan,” he added.

Asked about the possibility of more transport of onions from Maharashtra, Sahu said the crop is most likely to be affected with rain being forecast in the coming days. “We can expect onions from the western state in two weeks after the improvement in the weather conditions,” he pointed out.

A wholesale onion trader in Berhampur said that onions from Maharashtra are damp due to rain. “As damp onions cannot be stored for long, we are sending them to local markets for sale,” he informed.