Onions to be available for Rs 35 per kg

From Tuesday, onions will be available at R35 per kg. However, the availability of the commodity might be affected on Wednesday, as angry traders did not allow proper trading on Monday after income tax (I-T) department raids at the mandi. Nivedita Khandekar reports.

From Tuesday, onions will be available at R35 per kg. However, the availability of the commodity might be affected on Wednesday, as angry traders did not allow proper trading on Monday after income tax (I-T) department raids at the mandi.

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Haroon Yusuf, Delhi's food and supplies minister, said on Monday: "The centre has subsidised the onions. It would be sold at R35 per kg at 350-odd outlets of Mother Dairy's Safal, Kendriya Bhandar, Nafed and NCCF across the city from Tuesday itself."

Retail rates, however, ranged between Rs 50 and Rs 60 per kg on Monday. A total of 1,300 tonnes of onions arrived on Monday as onions sold at wholesale rate between Rs 17.50 and Rs 43 for a kilogram (for best quality) at Azadpur mandi.

Traders maintained there was no trading as a 250-strong I-T department contingent carried out checks throughout the day till evening on Monday at the mandi.

"The traders are angry. (However), the I-T officials only checked our books for accounts," clarified Rajender Sharma, general secretary of Tomatoes and Onions Merchant Association.