Onion prices at 5-year low
Posted on: 28/Feb/2017 2:16:44 PM
The prices of onions have come down drastically in the country’s largest market yard at Lasalgaon. Lasalgaon market yard is the largest market selling onions. This is located in Nasik District at Maharashtra. The essential commodity onions are creating a big impact in farming economics. In the year 2013, a quintal of onions was sold for Rs 1424 at Lasalgaon market. The average price for a quintal has been Rs 740 in February 2016, when the state was reeling under a severe drought. At this juncture, during the current year, one quintal of onions is sold for Rs 450.
Due to this, the farmers are shocked. Cost of production for a quintal is Rs 950. In view of this the farmers are incurring losses. The current price is the least in the last five years. In the present situation farmers are forced to sell 1 kilo of onions for Rs 1. Officials said the dip in price is due to bumper production in the state. Lasalgaon was getting 30,000-35,000 quintals of red onions every day in February, as against the average 12,000. Farmers are demanding extra wagons from Railways to send the extra onions to other parts of the country. The rates of the onions will be less throughout this month. Onions can be stored only for a month’s time. Moreover there are enough onions stocked in the market yard. In order to clear the extra onions, the farmers want 40 wagons, but they are getting 15-18 wagons.
Onions rate in Koyambedu
Before 5 months, the onions were sold for Rs 30 per kilo in the Koyambedu Wholesale Market. Since there is heavy harvest of onions in Maharashtra, the onions are sold between Rs 15 and Rs 20 per kilo. The merchants mentioned that earlier they use to get 70 lorry loads of onion bags from Maharashtra and now they are getting 40 to 50 lorry loads.
