No respite from rising onion prices till Dec, potato prices decline

By Pramod Kumar Jha New Delhi, Nov 23 : Due to the declining onion imports from abroad, the price of the staple vegetable is once again set to soar even while there is a large supply of onions coming from Rajasthan.
The retail price of onions in the national capital is between Rs 50 to Rs 70 per kg while the wholesale price ranges from Rs 15 to Rs 47.5 per kg which had fallen slightly to Rs 42 per kg before the Diwali season.
According to traders, there are slim chances of getting a respite from the rising onion prices before December this year. However, there is some relief for the common man as the prices of potatoes sharply declined due to the new potato crop.
The increase in onion prices is being attributed to the decrease in imports even as the fresh supply of onions from Rajasthan is in full flow to various parts of the country, including north India.
Traders say that in the last few days due to the increasing supply of locally-produced onions, the pace of onion imports has slowed down.
Horticulture Produce Exporters Association President, Ajit Shah, said the import of onions has not stopped but it has considerably reduced. He said that onions have also been imported from Turkey this week. At present, although onions are coming from Rajasthan, its price will fall only when onions from Nashik in Maharashtra flood the markets, Shah added.