NASHIK, Feb 4: Despite the arrival of fresh late kharif crop, its poor quality has kept onion prices high at the Lasalgaon wholesale onion marketyard, where the best quality onions fetched a record high price of Rs 1,851 per quintal, yesterday.The spokesman of the Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee told The Indian Express that though the arrivals had increased at the marketyard, the quality of the crop was poor. He said that yesterday, two tractor trailer loads of best quality onions had fetched the highest ever price of Rs 1,851 per quintal. The earlier record was Rs 1,751 per quintal, on December 30, 1997.
The spokesman said, however, that the fresh arrivals had led to a reduction in the average prices of acceptable quality of onions from Rs 1,500-1,600 to Rs 1,200-1,300 per quintal. He said that yesterday the average price quoted at the marketyard was Rs 1,351.
Prices marginally fell today, the average being Rs 1,150 per quintal and the highest being Rs 1,655 per quintal.
When the market opened for auction today, 450 tractor trailers (each carrying about thirty quintals) and 62 bullock-carts were awaiting sale. The spokesman said that the prices were likely to remain marginally higher than the last year till the arrival of the rabi crop, which is harvested in April.
It may be recalled that after a glut in June last, (when prices had plummeted to Rs 150 per quintal, compelling farmers to agitate and throw onions at ministers), a scarcity had set in due to adverse climate. Prices had soared as the crop was damaged due to untimely rains, hailstorms and foggy weather. Prices have remained high over the last two months, prompting the central government to impose a ban on onion exports to control domestic prices.
Maharashtra tops in onion production in the country, producing about 12.5 lakh tonne per annum. However, the kharif production dropped this season from 1.5 lakh tonne to 40,000 tonne in the State, which is estimated to produce about three lakh tonne less than normal inthe three harvests of 1997-98. The annual production of the country is estimated to fall from about 42 lakh tonne to 34.5 lakh tonne due to failure of the onion crop in various states.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
