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Soaring onion, garlic prices could become poll issue in Maharashtra, Haryana
Agricultural experts and traders said it is unlikely that the prices of these essential food items will reduce significantly in the next one to two months till the arrival of the new onion crop.
Rising prices of onion and garlic are likely to become a key issue in poll-bound Maharashtra and Haryana where the state assembly elections are slated for October 21.
Agricultural experts and traders said it is unlikely that the prices of these essential food items will reduce significantly in the next one to two months till the arrival of the new onion crop. The standing crops in Maharashtra and the southern states suffered enormous damage due to the heavy rains.
Onion prices have shot up in all the metros, touching more than Rs 60 per kilo in Delhi and Mumbai. Even in the largest onion producing regions in the country such as Nashik and Pune districts, retail onion prices are around Rs 60 per kilo. Prices of garlic have almost doubled in Maharashtra and have touched Rs 200 per kg. Maharashtra does not have any garlic production.
The Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) has already floated a tender for import of onion from China, Afghanistan and Egypt and the earliest that these imports could arrive is the last week of November.
Jaydutta Holkar, director of Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market committee (APMC) in Nashik district said, “The government is importing onion which is equivalent to a single day’s arrival at the Lasalgaon APMC. This will only send a signal that the government is doing something, but it won’t help in bringing down the prices. The Lasalgaon APMC is one of the critical suppliers of onion in the country and receives up to five lakh quintals per day. The standing crops in Karnataka and Gujarat, has, however, been damaged due to the rains.
Onion trader and Pune APMC director Vilas Bhujbal said, “Usually in the month of September, Pune APMC receives harvest from Karnataka. But this time, the traders from southern states have been procuring onions from Pune. In view of Diwali which is barely a month away, the demand for onion and garlic is expected to shoot. The wholesale price for onion in Pune is Rs 45 per kilo,” he said.
According to Bhujbal, there were no chances of a price drop in the near future and the retail prices were about 50% to 100% higher than the wholesale rates due to transport and other costs.
Sanjay Desale farmer from Pimpalgaon in Nashik district said that as the storage capacity is increased in Nashik district, instead of selling onion as soon as it arrived, farmers are keeping it in storage and selling step by step. Now some farmers are getting good rates.
