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भारत

Why is onion again making common people cry? What is the government doing?


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Common people do special shopping on the occasion of Navratri every year. Since onions become cheaper due to fasting, they buy two-three weeks’ stock and store it at home. But this time the onion prices have taken a reverse turn. It has not become cheaper in Navratri, nor is its wholesale price coming down. After all, why is this happening, what is our government doing?

Potatoes had already made the situation worse in the vegetable market. Rates of tomatoes are also going high. While potatoes are being sold at Rs 50 per kg, the retail price of tomatoes has gone above Rs 60 per kg. In many cities, the price of 1 kg onion has crossed Rs. 100.

What is the condition of the onion retail market in Nashik
Lasalgaon Wholesale Market is the largest onion market in Nashik. Maharashtra produces the most onions in the country. In Nashik alone, about 60 per cent of the entire Maharashtra grows onions. In this way, onions of every quality and variety are stored in the onion market of Lasalgaon. From here onions go to other regions. In this case, as much as the rate of onion is under control in this market, the whole country gets cheaper onions. Things are so bad this season that onions are being sold at Rs 80 per kg in Nashik’s retail market itself. In Maharashtra’s Pune and Mumbai, onions are being sold at Rs 100 to Rs 120 per kg. In such a case, it can be estimated how much the prices of onion can go up in other states after freight rates are being imposed.

Like everything else in the market, the rate of onion runs on demand-supply. The more onions are supplied in the wholesale market, the cheaper the onions will reach the retail markets and the common people will be able to buy at the retail rate. Onion prices are rising sharply due to declining supply of onions.

According to the report, the inflow of onion in the Pune market has almost halved, due to which the prices are going up. There is a lot of time in the new crop of onions to come, so onions can be even more expensive. According to Lasalgaon Market, the supply of onions has fallen by about 70 per cent in the last two months. In August, where 22 thousand quintals of onion used to come every day, in October it has been only seven thousand quintals. The reason behind this decrease is said to be the rains in Mumbai. Due to this, 50 per cent of kharif and late kharif onion crop has been severely damaged by rains.

According to P. Changal Reddy, Advisor to the Consortium of Indian Farmers’ Associations-Potatoes and onions are grown in a limited part of the country, but it has high demand in all over the country. So if any adverse natural incident case takes place in that region where the onions are grown the most, then it leaves an effect on the whole country. Infrastructure and storage problems increased in Covid19 era. Besides, there was heavy rain in some areas. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra have suffered a lot from the rains. That is why the rate of onion and potato is very high in the whole country.

What is the government doing?
On Wednesday, October 21, the government took action and happily allowed the import of onions from abroad. According to the Ministry of Food, the price of onion has been rising since August 2020. However, the sharp increase has been seen in the last 10 days only. This increase is 12 per cent more than last year.

To facilitate the import of onions, the government relaxed its conditions on October 21. This period has been extended to December 15, 2020. At the same time, the government has instructed the Indian High Commission to contact those countries and facilitate the import of onions. The ministry also says that an undertaking will be taken from all the importers, in which they have to give in writing that the imported onions have to be made available to the common people in the market. It will not be hoarded.

However, the government has not issued any directive on exporting onions to other countries. Till the new crop arrives, onion prices may see a rise. Onion prices are skyrocketing even in wholesale mandis

Here the “Social Siyappa’ has started on onion –

Apart from the onion-potato-tomato trio, green vegetables are also being sold very expensive in the retail market. Their price has gone from 60 rupees to 200 rupees a kg. Green pea has gone up to Rs 200 per kg in Mumbai’s retail market, while in Delhi it is currently being sold up to Rs 100-120 per kg.

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