Wholesale onion prices fall after farmers flood markets

The Asian Age.  | aftab khan

Metros, Mumbai

The plunge in the rates will be good news to consumers as the essential vegetable will become affordable.

The prices crashed by around Rs 4 to Rs 5 per kg.

Nashik: Onion prices have started to crash as farmers have begun flooding the markets, even with immature onions, following the government’s announcement of Minimum Export Price (MEP) of $ 850 per tonne. The prices crashed by around `4 to `5 per kg in most Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC) in Nashik district. Exporters have to sell according to MEP rate or above it. The plunge in the rates will be good news to consumers as the essential vegetable will become affordable.

The MEP is applicable only to export quality onions, which include the ‘Unhal’ and ‘Rangda’ varieties. Currently, the ‘Lal’ or ‘Pol’ variety onions are being traded, which have low qualities and are not exported, so the announcement was immaterial. But farmers feared that prices would drop and flooded the markets with onions.

A few frightened farmers even harvested the immature ‘Rangda’ onion, which would have been ready by December end. Generally, after the onion is ready for harvest, the crop is cut and allowed to dry in the sun. The farmers harvested the immature bulbs
and brought it fresh to the market. This extremely low-quality onion caused a further drop in prices.

Chandwad Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) chairman Dr Atmaram Kumbharde said that new ‘Rangda’ onion harvest would begin by January and till then the farmers should avoid flooding the market with onions.

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