CHENNAI: The onion prices at Koyambedu wholesale market have started dipping to the range of Rs 80 to Rs 100 and traders hope that in the next seven to eight days, will drop to Rs 50 to Rs 60 per kg.
S Chandran, Market Management Committee Licensed Merchants Association president and Anaithu Sangankalin Kootamaipu, general secretary told Express, “On Friday, 40 trucks loaded with Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra onions reached the market. There were also fresh stocks of imported Egyptian onions.”
To a query on whether the prices had come down due to Egyptian onions, Bhaskar, an onion trader said that sales had been hit as people are hoping that onion prices will come down. “Usually, I sell 20 sacks a day and as people are shying away from buying onions, I manage to sell only 10 sacks,” he says.
Another trader says that the pressure is on traders to reduce the price due to lack of sales. Now, onions from Andhra and Karnataka in the wholesale market are available at Rs 70 to Rs 80 per kg and Nasik onions are priced at Rs 100. Abdul Khader, secretary of Koyambedu Vegetable Wholesale Merchants Association, said top quality Nasik onion is still selling at Rs 120 per kg.
‘Desi onions in demand’
Traders said Egyptian onions, which has been selling in the range of Rs 60 to Rs 70 per kg, has failed to lure the common man as his taste buds still prefer the desi onions
Rs 25,000 kgs of onion seeds given to farmers’
Stating that supply of onion from States like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka had started, Sellur K Raju, Minister for Cooperation said to avoid shortage of onions in the coming months, the State agriculture department had given 25,000 kg of onion seeds to farmers, for cultivation in 60,000 acres in districts like Pudukottai, Theni, Erode, Salem, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram.