29 December,2010 06:34 AM IST | | Natasha Gupta
Import, though not adequate for city's demands, may be the beginning of the end of onion drought; 200 tonnes more on the way, traders say
Relief is here, or at least a hint of it. To stem the steep prices and severe shortage of onions, the state scouted about eight tonnes of onions from Pakistan, that made their way to Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), Vashi, yesterday.
Pak-imported onions were of poor quality but sold out in a blink nonetheless
Though deficient in bringing instant cheer to deprived Mumbaikars, some 200 tonnes more, expected to arrive today or tomorrow, are likely to sail the city through to the stable, more reasonable side of the prices over a sustained period of time, officials say.
Selling cheaper than their Indian counterparts, any and every kind of onion from across the border was snatched off the stalls by the onion-starved city.
Low quality
After the onion famine, Mumbaikars are not very choosy about the quality. Traders said the onions were fairly bad in quality but swiftly cleared out within a couple of hours.
"About 200 packets of Pakistani onions, each containing 40 kg arrived here in APMC on Tuesday morning, and were sold out within a few hours of their arrival.
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Though the onions are large in size, but their quality is extremely poor," said APMC Director Ashok Walung.
Though the quality was sub-standard, traders believe the influx of onions from across the border will stabilise the shortage, and subsequently, the prices in the market.
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The normalisation may not come overnight, but would occur over two or three months, state Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil told the media last week.
Nitin Pakakh, an APMC trader, said, "If the government clears the goodsu00a0 before they rot, subsequent imports in larger quantities will surely see the city through this shortage. It will only help ease the drain on the aam aadmi's pocket."
On the flip side, some traders say the supplementary stock will barely suffice as it falls short of the city's requirement of 700 tonnes a day.
Uttam Savant, of Om Trading Company, said, "We had four to six tonnes of onions in about 100-150 packets of 40 kg each. We sold them at Rs 35 a kg to retailers.
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But the import volume is enough just for breakfast," Savant said, implying that the import was far off from being enough.
Some retailers said that they were yet to see the imported onions.
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Nandu, a retailer from Bandra, said, "I went to Dadar wholesale market today and the only available stock was small in size and priced above Rs 50.
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I'm selling them for Rs 55-80 a kg. I didn't see any Pakistani onions. Maybe they'll come tomorrow."
The onions might sell at a price lower than or equal to that of homegrown ones.
Rs 50-60 per kg
Current market price of onion
700 Tonnes
Daily requirement of Mumbai
More on the way
Larger consignments of onions are being shipped to Mumbai. Walung said, "Some 20 trucks, carrying about 200 tonnes of onions will arrive at APMC on Wednesday or the day after. The wholesale rate for Pakistani onions is Rs 34-38 per kg."
Pune Bandh Affects Stocks
Due to a bandh in the city of Pune, the delivery of onion imports from the district to APMC today seems precarious. Roshan Bhatija from Sri Vrindavan Traders in APMC told MiD DAY yesterday, "Today, we received our stock as usual. We don't know what will happen tomorrow." With onion prices fluctuating every day, a reduced stock in the market for even a day may trigger another aberration in the prices. However, some disagree. Megharam Parihar, a trader, said, "Most goods come from the outskirts of the city. The farmers are smart and I'm sure they will manage to get goods here on time."
