Onion auction shut at Lasalgaon for 4th day, prices remain stable in retail market
In Pune, onion at retail vegetable vendors was being sold on Saturday at around ₹20 to ₹30 per kg largely due to the produce coming in wholesale market of Gultekadi
The onion auction remained closed on fourth consecutive day in India’s largest wholesale market at Lasalgaon and Pimpalgaon in Nashik district with traders’ remaining adamant on lifting export duty. However, despite wholesale markets remained shut, prices in retail markets of Pune, Nashik remained stable at around ₹30 per kg, mainly because supply hasn’t affected much.
In Pune, onion at retail vegetable vendors was being sold on Saturday at around ₹20 to ₹30 per kg largely due to the produce coming in wholesale market of Gultekadi from other places such as Ghodegaon (Pune district), Ahmednagar, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. There has been supply from Nashik too where government agencies are bringing in the produce in the local market.
According to retail market vendor Anup Bhanushali, the supply hasn’t been affected locally even as Lasalgaon and other wholesale markets are closed. “I have been selling onion largely at the same rate of ₹30 since the past one week. There may be minor reduction in supply but demand has also dipped due to Ganpati,” said Bhanushali.
Anuradha Gadre, a resident of Bibwewadi said there is major respite that prices of onion and tomatoes are now under control despite strike by traders. “I purchased onion at ₹60 for two kgs. In the morning when I read news that traders are adamant on strike, I though this may have led to escalation in rates at local level,” said Gadre.
In Nashik, most wholesale markets remained shut despite government efforts to convince traders for starting onion auction. There are 600 registered traders operating through over 15 different wholesale markets across Nashik district. These traders want government to scrap 40 per cent export duty decision, and are agitated with selling of onion by government agencies such as National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), and National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF). These agencies have buffer stock which they have tried to bring in market. The traders believe that government agencies bringing in onion in local market has led to fall in prices of onion.
Nashik District Onion Traders’ Association president Khandu Kaka Deore said, “We are firm on our demands about laying off the 40 per cent export duty, restrictions on the sale of NAFED. In a meeting on Friday, it was unanimously decided by all the traders to not participate in any of the APMC markets auctions till our demands are heard by the central government. We will continue our protest.”
