Falling wholesale onion prices yet to reflect on retail mkts

Retail prices of onions continued to remain high at Rs 50-60/kg in the national capital today, despite a fall of up to Rs 12/kg in wholesale rates of the vegetable over the past two days here.

Onions continued to remain costly in other metros too at Rs 50-65/kg, while the vegetable sold at Rs 65/kg in Mumbai. It was available at Rs 55-60/kg in Kolkata, traders said.

Majority of retail outlets were closed in Chennai today on account of Pongal festival, reports from the Centre said.

According to the government data, the onion retail rates were ruling in the range of Rs 21-26/kg in metros in the same period of last year.

Azadpur mandi, Asia's biggest fruits and vegetable market, remained closed on Sunday. There was no wholesale trading of onions in the national capital today.

The wholesale price of onions had witnessed a declining trend at Azadpur mandi for the last two days up to Rs 15/kg. The wholesale rate which had peaked to Rs 50/kg on January 13 and fell to Rs 38/kg on January 15.

But this is yet to assert any impact on the retail market in the national capital, where the prices of the root vegetable still continued to remain skyhigh.

Tomato and Onion Merchants Association General Secretary Rajendra Sharma told PTI that the wholesale rate is expected to show a further slide in the coming days due to a likely increase in supply of the vegetable from feeder state Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

After Lohri festival, the supply of onions would further boost in Delhi with the arrival of 200 tonnes of vegetable imported by the state-run agencies PEC and STC from Pakistan, which landed at Mudra Port in Gujarat, last week.

According to government sources, the imported onions are likely to reach Delhi on Tuesday.

Agri-cooperative NAFED's mobile vans selling onions at Rs 35/kg in Delhi kept off the duty today on account of Sunday. Its five outlets also selling onion at the same rate since December 21, when the price of the veggies shot up to Rs 70- 85/kg, also remained shut, sources in NAFED said.