'Supply from Gujarat helps defuse onion crisis in Delhi'

 Large inflow of onion from Gujarat has helped rein in high prices of the vegetable, which is now available at Rs 25-30 a kg in retail markets, in the national capital, traders said.

"Increased arrival of onion from Gujarat from January 25 onwards boosted supply in the national capital due to which price of the vegetable crashed to Rs 25-30/kg," Onion Merchants Association General Secretary Rajendra Sharma told PTI.

The prices of onion, which had shot up to Rs 70-85 a kg in December, were ruling at Rs 40-60 a kg in retail in the third week opf January.

Sharma said Gujarat is accounting for almost 90% of onion supplied to Delhi now.

The Azadpur market (Asia's biggest wholesale fruit & vegetables market) is receiving around 1,200 tonnes of onion daily now, Sharma said adding a bulk of it hails from the western state.

Gujarat is the third largest producer of onion in the country after Maharashtra, with annual production of over 9 lakh tonnes.

President of Azadpur-based Onion Merchants Association Surendra Budhi Raj said though Gujarat onion is more in quantity, it is fetching less price than the one from Maharashtra in the wholesale market.

"While the red coloured Gujarat onions are selling at a rate of Rs 9-12 a kg in the wholesale nowdays the pink and yellow varieties of Maharashtra are costing Rs 11-12/kg," Budhi Raj added.

After suffering damage in kharif due to unseasonal rains, Gujarat has witnessed bumper rabi (October-January) onion crop.

The wholesale rate of onion which had zoomed to Rs 65 per kg in the last week of December in Delhi has dropped to Rs 4-12/kg now, traders said.