NEW DELHI: Amid soaring onion prices in the country, customers in the national capital prefer the homegrown variety of onions over the imported ones because of the taste.
Retailers said the central government is providing imported onions and due to the bad quality, customers are not buying them.
"The central government is providing onions of poor quality. It gives an unpleasant taste to the food. People here are demanding local onions now. Why will the state government buy the poor quality onions from the central? These are being imported from Afghanistan, Turkey and other places as well. Even the hotel managers are not buying onions form us after they received complaints from the customers," Gulshan Sharma, a vegetable seller told ANI.
The imported onion does not suit the taste buds of the local consumers who find it bland. He said the prices will come down in a week bringing relief to the people.
"Initially, these imported onions were sold for Rs. 60 per kg and now we have put a wholesale rate of Rs. 35 but still people are not buying them. Now after a week local onions will start flowing in the market and the prices will come down gradually by 20-25%," he added.
In the past few weeks, the high prices of the edible bulb have left the consumers teary-eyed. Its retail prices have reached Rs 200 per kilogram while the potato is selling for Rs 40 per kilogram in several parts of the country.
The onion prices have been on the rise in many states of the country, and this has even sparked protests by the people.