Onions imported from Turkey are no match for the Indian variety in the city of Chakan. They simply do not suit the consumers’ taste, it seems. Naturally that means, the imports fetched lower prices than the Indian variety. In an open auction conducted at Chakan onion market on Friday, vendors, people and traders preferred buying Indian onions at a higher price than the imported consignment from Turkey.
Turkey's onions got prices in the range of Rs30 to 35 per kg (€0.39-0.46). Aapla (Indian) onion was sold between Rs40 and Rs55 per kg (€0.55-0.72).
"The sole reason is the taste," said Govind Daundkar, the in-charge of the market, told the Times on Saturday. "The imported onions look attractive, but they are not spicy. They do not taste like the Indian ones.”
About 10 tonnes of imported onions were brought to the market for the first time to control the spiralling prices of the kitchen staple.
"Many hoteliers and small-time eateries had been requesting us to control the prices, but it is not possible in the current situation. To provide relief to them, some traders had come with the imported onions, but they did not make much of a difference," Daundkar said.
The imported variety did provide some relief to hoteliers, though. Daundkar said. "More than 50% imported onions were purchased by hoteliers and dhaba owners."
"The new harvest of onions has started coming in to tehsil and Pune markets. As a result, prices have remained stable across. This will continue for the next few weeks as there will be adequate supply of fresh onions. The old stock has been exhausted now," said a wholesale onion trader.
The prices of onions had soared to Rs100 to 120 per kg (€1.30-1.56) in the second week of December. Now, the prices had dipped significantly in the wholesale and local vegetable markets in Pune, a source said.
