India gets 790 tonnes of onion

New Delhi: The first batch of imported onion weighing 790 tonnes has reached India and some quantities are being distributed to Delhi and Andhra Pradesh at a landing cost of Rs 57-60/ kg, according to Consumer Affairs Ministry.

An approximately 12,000-tonne of onion shipment is expected to arrive by end of December, said a senior official here on Monday.

Andhra Pradesh and Delhi governments have already placed their demands and have started lifting imported onions, he said.

Onion has been imported from Turkey, Egypt and Afghanistan. More consignments are underway which should improve the domestic supplies, he added.

State-run MMTC, which is importing the key kitchen staple on behalf of the government, has contracted 49,500 tonne of onion so far.

Retail onion prices are ruling at an average Rs 100 per kg in major cities, but rates are as high as Rs 160 per kg in some parts of the country.

"The two consignments comprising 290 tonne and 500 tonne each has already reached Mumbai. We are offering this onion at a landed cost of Rs 57-60/kg to state governments," the official said.

Onion prices have shot up sharply due to estimated 25 per cent fall in kharif production of 2019-20 crop year (July-June) compared to the previous year because of late monsoon and eventual excess rains in the major producing states.