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Onion prices to fall: Government

Onion prices to fall: Government

onionNew Delhi : With onion prices going up during the festival season, the government on Friday said fresh supplies from Karnataka will increase its availability in a week’s time bringing down the prices to “moderate” level.

A high-level committee headed by Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash Srivastava on Friday reviewed the price and availability situation after retail prices of onion in Delhi went up to Rs 40 per kg.

It also decided that the supply of onion to the national capital from the government’s buffer stock under Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) should be increased by two-three times “so as to tide over any constraint in the interim supply”.

The Agriculture Ministry said the sown area under the kharif onion crop was higher than that last year and fresh arrivals had started from Karnataka.

It would improve the availability and keep the prices “moderate”, the committee said.

The average wholesale prices at Nashik’s Lasalgaon market– Asia’s largest wholesale market for onion — have doubled in a week’s time to over Rs 2,100 per quintal.

The government owned Mother Dairy has already reduced onion prices by Rs 2 per kg at all its stores across Delhi.

—IANS

Controlling onion prices not in our hands: Paswan

Controlling onion prices not in our hands: Paswan

Ram Vilas Paswan

Ram Vilas Paswan

New Delhi : Despite taking measures such as procurement from local markets, boosting imports and discouraging export of onions, the Central government on Wednesday expressed its helplessness in controlling the rising prices of the essential commodity.

Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the onion yield this year was expected to be lower since the area under onion cultivation had come down to 1.90 lakh hectares in 2017-18 from 2.65 lakh hectares in 2016-17.

“We have taken several measures, like procurement by agencies from areas such as Nashik (Maharashtra) and Alwar (Rajasthan) where the cost is lower, as well as import of onions. But it (bringing down prices) is not in our hands,” Paswan told reporters here.

While the Ministry’s data showed average prices of onion and tomato in Delhi ranged between Rs 53 and Rs 63 per kg, these were being sold for up to Rs 80 in retail markets.

Once the supply from (late) kharif starts, prices may come down, he added.

Paswan held a meeting with officials from the Ministries of Agriculture and Food as well as the Delhi government on Wednesday on the rising prices of onions and tomatoes.

Prices are low at one corner of the country while they are high at the other, he said.

“We are trying to figure out how onion from areas where prices are lower can be transported to Delhi,” he said.

On October 31, Paswan had blamed hoarding for a surge in the prices of onions and tomatoes in retail markets, and promised that the situation will improve once the fresh supply began.

Paswan added the onion output was 189 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, 209 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 and 217 lakh tonnes in 2016-17.

“However, the Agriculture Ministry has not yet provided information about the output this year. It is likely to come in January,” he said.

The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation has been asked to procure onions from Nashik, Alwar where prices are lower, about Rs 28-32 per kg.

It has procured approximately 1,000 tonnes of onions so far, said Avinash Srivastava, Consumer Affairs Secretary.

The Ministry has also asked public sector body Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation of India to import 2,000 tonnes of onions. However, this can only be used after a month as imported onions come in cold storage and need to be brought to room temperature.

Paswan said an increase in the Minimum Export Price (MEP) had brought down onion exports.

“On November 23, 4,159 tonnes of onion was exported. However, the export reduced to just 137 tonnes on November 23, after the MEP was set at $835 per tonne,” he said.

—IANS

Onion prices to fall: Government

WB: onions at fair price, Govt aiming fresh investments

onionKolkata:(IANS) With onion prices across West Bengal soaring to between Rs. 60-75 a kg in the retail market, the state government on Monday said it will sell the edible bulb at discounted prices through the fair price vegetable shops.

State Horticulture Minister Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury said onions will be made available at a price which will be at least Rs.10-15 less than the market rate.

The state’s ruling Trinamool Congress said, on its official website, that the state government will also deploy mobile vans at different markets of the city for selling onions at a faire price.

“Soon, onions at fair price will be made available in the district markets,” the party said.

Agricultural Marketing Minister Arup Roy said he is also considering importing onions from south India and efforts are on to stop stockpiling of onion.

“Prices of onion is soaring because of the untimely rains in the onion producing areas. Even our own produce in the state has been hit because of waterlogging in recent times. We are looking into measures to control it,” agro and allied sector advisor to the chief minister, Pradip Mazumdar, told IANS.

The state scantily produces onions and imports it mainly from Maharashtra’s Nashik.

Prices of the vegetable has skyrocketted across India, even reaching up to Rs.90 a kg in some markets.

In another report Govt aiming to make land available for fresh investments, the West Bengal government has formed a nine-member group of ministers (GoM) to look out for ways to free land from closed industrial units near Kolkata.

“The nine-member GoM will look into different aspects of the closed industries in the state. But the primary objective will be to free land of closed industrial units and invite fresh investments on the prime plots,” the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress said on its official website.

The GoM consists of the Finance and Industries Minister Amit Mitra, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, Law Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, Power Minister Manish Gupta, Labour Minister Malay Ghatak, Agriculture Minister Purnendu Bose, Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee and Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar who hold the environment portfolio.

The government claimed to have recently freed nearly 200 acres in Kalyani in Nadia district from 11 closed units.