Buy them cheaper at Safal outlets

As part of its market intervention scheme, the government, on Wednesday, announced a tie-up with Mother Dairy's Safal and Kendriya Bhandar to reign in the spurt in onion prices.

As part of its market intervention scheme, the government, on Wednesday, announced a tie-up with Mother Dairy's Safal and Kendriya Bhandar to reign in the spurt in onion prices.

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The vegetable will be available for R39-41 per kg at about 500 Safal and Kendriya Bhandar outlets across the city.

Retail prices across Delhi ranged between R65-70 on Wednesday. Shortage in supply of onions from feeder states such as Rajasthan and Maharashtra, due to unseasonal rains, had shot onion prices from around R35 per kg last week to R65-75 per kg on Monday. The rates hovered between R70 and R80 per kg on Tuesday.

Delhi's food and supplies minister Haroon Yusuf said: "The arrivals at the mandi today was approximately 2,000 tonnes. Our teams from enforcement departments inspected Azadpur, Okhla and Ghazipur mandis. There is no hoarding of the commodity."

However, Yusuf warned the traders "not to turn crisis as an opportunity to profiteering" and promised "strict action against errant traders".

According to the minister, the wholesale rates had come down on Wednesday and the government hoped that with the increased availability and the tie-up with Kendriya Bhandar and Mother Dairy "will further bring down the cost".

Explained Mohit Budhiraja, a trader from Azadpur mandi: "The export ban has increased availability (of onions) for domestic market. Waiver of import duty has helped bring in onions from Pakistan."

IA Khan, joint secretary of Azadpur marketing committee, said: "Delhi buyers and traders from outside bought lesser quantities owing to hike. The decrease in demand too brought down the prices."

Delhi government officials visited, in full media glare, to inspect Azadpur mandi. "Onion is a highly perishable commodity. Who would want to hoard it and bring loss for himself," said DM Spolia, Delhi's development commissioner, who supervised mandi inspections at 123 points.