Government asks MMTC to import 10,000 tonnes onion
In a bid to check the rising onion prices and ensure adequate supply of the key kitchen staple in the domestic market, the government on Wednesday asked the state-owned MMTC to import 10,000 tonnes of onion. “MMTC will float a global tender for import of 10,000 MT of onion shortly,” Agricultural Ministry said in a statement. In the domestic markets, onion prices are hovering around Rs.60-80 a kg, mainly due to lower output in the current crop season and eroding stock of previous yields. At present, the demand in the domestic market has been met through increased supply from the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) and other agencies. Last month, NAFED had floated tenders for onion imports. But it failed to attract importers. Now the government has asked NAFED to cancel its tender and assigned MMTC for the job. According to experts, imports will boost the domestic supply and check further price hike. Traders in northern region have already started importing onion from Afghanistan through Attari-Wagah route. India’s total onion production is estimated to be 189 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June), lower than 194 lakh tonnes a year ago.
August 19, 2015 | 5:58pm IST.
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