India has become the largest exporter of Onions to Pakistan with a 90 per cent share of the total 2.5 lakh tonnes of the vegetable imported by the country.
Due to fewer arrivals from Afghanistan and Iran from September 15 to November 29, Indian onions dominated the Pakistani palate, local daily Dawn reported on Thursday.
Last year, the country had imported 70,000-80,000 tonnes of the commodity in order to meet the demand and ensure price stabilisation.
Despite huge imports, there has been no let-up in onion prices in Pakistan and they have shot to Rs 30-35 per kg for the last one and a half months due to failure of crops in Sindh, the paper said.
Haji Shahjehan, a wholesale vegetable dealer in Karachi, said that the Indian onion was being imported at 250-300 dollars per tonne depending on the quality and it was available in the markets at a rate ranging between Rs 22-30 per kg.
He said there will be more imports of onion in December in view of the advance export shipment booking for more than 350 containers and there are chances for continuing import of onion from India till January in order to meet the rising demand.
If imports would have not been undertaken then the prices would have gone beyond the reach of the common man who was already groaning under severe pressure of rising prices of other essential items.
{{/usCountry}}If imports would have not been undertaken then the prices would have gone beyond the reach of the common man who was already groaning under severe pressure of rising prices of other essential items.
{{/usCountry}}He said future imports also depend on the rates of Indian onion as prices there have been rising due to shortage.