ale onion prices at the country's largest wholesale onion market, the Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), have increased by 39.44% in just a week due to poor supply of the crop caused by the recent unseasonal rains and hailstorms in the district.In the district APMCs, the average wholesale onion prices, which were in the range of Rs 575 to Rs 801 a quintal on April 10, rose to Rs 750-Rs 1,011 on Thursday within a week. In the retail market, good quality onions were sold in the range of Rs 12 to 15 a kg. (1Rs+ $0.016 USD)
Speaking to TOI, an official from the Lasalgaon APMC said, "The quality of onions has been damaged due to recent hailstorms and unseasonal rains and only 40% of total arrival of the produce in the last month was of good quality. But the quantum of good quality onions has increased to 55% to 60% from this week and good quality onions are getting good prices. This is the major reason behind the rise in the average wholesale onion prices."
Speaking to TOI, director of the National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) Changdeo Holkar said, "The farmers have started storing onions with the hope of getting better prices in the future. The arrival is expected to continue till June 15, after which it will decline. By June 15, the average wholesale onion prices are expected to be in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,300 a quintal."
At present, the onions arriving in the market are from the summer harvest, and have a shelf life of around seven months. Hence, the farmers are in no hurry to sell the produce and are hoarding the produce. On the contrary, the shelf life of kharif and late kharif crop is around just a month. So the farmers have no choice but to sell their commodity at the prevailing market rates during the kharif season.
