NEW DELHI: To deal with the high price of onions, the central cooperative, Nafed, has invited bids from importers for the supply of 15,000 tons of red onions by November 20 in order to boost the domestic availability and check price rise. It has asked bidders to supply of red onions from any country of origin at Rs50 per kg by November 20.
The move will help augment the domestic supply and reduce the prices. Onions are currently selling at Rs80-100 a kg in retail markets. Moreover, the issue of the soaring price of the product has also been raised by Opposition leaders in Bihar polls. The cooperative has said the bid can be done for a minimum quantity of 2,000 tons to be supplied in multiple lots of 500 tons. The bidding will close on November 4 and the received bids will be opened on the same day. The shipments are to be delivered at Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Kandla ports.
The bids will be evaluated based on volumes, quality and early date of shipment. Bidders have to supply fresh, well dried and cured onions. Since the buffer stock of onion, which Nafed manages on behalf of the government, is gradually getting depleted, the cooperative has been asked to augment domestic supplies with imported onions to continue with the ongoing market intervention. Last year, Nafed had not only imported on own some quantities but also distributed onions imported by state-run MMTC.
This year, it wants to get the supplies from importers so that shipments could arrive fast and improve the domestic supply situation. Even the size of onion, Nafed has specified for supply is what Indians normally consume.