New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) Onion prices are likely to fall to around Rs.30 a kg here with over 300 tonnes expected from Pakistan, an official said Monday.
‘The onions are coming from Pakistan,’ a Delhi government official said.
The onions will be sold at more than 300 outlets including those of Mother Dairy and Kendriya Bhandar, the official said.
They will cost around Rs.33 a kg, mainly due to transportation charges incurred in bringing them from Pakistan by land.
Already, onion prices have slipped in the wholesale markets here to Rs.25-45 but the retail prices are still high at Rs.40-60.
Traders here say the prices are likely to see a sharp fall by Jan 20.
An association of Delhi’s wholesale traders said Monday that the prices will come down as fresh crops arrive, including from various states.
‘With the crops being harvested in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, we expect more onions to arrive by Jan 15-20,’ Rajan Sharma, general secretary of the Chamber of Azadpur Fruit and Vegetable Traders, told IANS.
He said it would take another 10-15 days for the price to trickle down to Rs.25-35 in retail outlets.
‘The price of onion might have come down in the retail market but the supply of onions from Rajasthan to Delhi is very low due to higher retail prices in Jaipur and the Gujjar agitation,’ Sharma said.
Gujjars demanding job quotas have blockaded highways and rail tracks in parts of Rajasthan.
Onion prices began shooting up from the last week of December. Prices zoomed to Rs.80-100 a kg but came down marginally after a week.
