Onion price starts coming down in retail market

Guntur: Onion price has come to Rs 40 a kg in the retail with the arrival of new crop from Maharashtra and Kurnool in the State. The onions, which was sold at Rs.120 a kg in December last year, is available at Rs. 40 -a-kg. In fact, consumers can have the produce for Rs38 a kg if they buy 5 kg. Depending upon the size and quality, the traders are selling the onion at Rs.40 a kg. Wholesale onion traders are saying that If arrival of new crop continues, the price may come to Rs 30 a kg in the next 15 days.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Marketing Department is selling onions imported from Turkey at Rs 20 a kg through the Rytu Bazaars for the convenience of the consumers.

Turkey onion is big in size and not attractive and its taste is not as good as Maharashtra onions, according to consumers. But the consumers are purchasing the Turkey onions in the Rytu Bazaars. The consumers are saying that in stead of purchasing onions at Rs.40 a kg in the open market, they are purchasing two kgs at the same price. As the onion price started falling, the wholesale traders are scaling down the stocks in the warehouses to avoid possible loss if the price crashes.

Sources in the Agriculture Marketing Department said the National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation imported onions from Turkey and it was supplying to Agriculture Market Department. Quality of Turkey onion is not good. Some onions were damaged in the containers. The officials asked the NAFED to supply good quality onions.