TAD NewsDesk, New Delhi: Onion prices have started to fall and in the coming festive season, the government will also ensure a steady supply of tomatoes, potatoes and other pulses at affordable prices. The government is willing to do so with the help of buffer stocks and easier imports said, Piyush Goyal, Consumer Affairs and Food Minister.
Mr Goyal told reporters in his first dialogue as consumer affairs and food minister
“We have relaxed import norms for onions, reduced duty for potatoes and extended time limit for importing pulses to ensure availability. Due to unseasonal rains, there is some shortage which will be plugged by imports. We will be offloading 2 lakh tonnes of tur in open market from buffer stock by Diwali to cool down the prices”
He also added that the government has released 37000 tonnes of onion in the market to bring down the prices.
Moreover about onions he added,
“After we eased quarantine and fumigation norms for onion imports, around 7,000 tonnes of onions have already been imported by private players. Another 25,000 tonnes will reach by Diwali to moderate prices and ensure easy availability. Apart from that, Nafed is also working on proposal to import onions through private players.”
One significant reason in the fall of onion prices is the imposition of stock limits and the complete ban of exports.
Moreover, Goyal added that the government is importing 30,000 tonnes of potatoes from Bhutan to bring down the prices which have touched the mark of Rs 55-60 in some parts of the country.
He said,
“We have also opened a quota for importing 10 lakh tonnes of potatoes at 10% duty valid till January 2021. The import duty on potatoes otherwise is 30%.”
He also talked of extended agreements with Mozambique and Myanmar for Tur and Urad and he added,
“We have extended the time limit for importing 4 lakh tonnes of Tur till December this year besides expediting import of 2 lakh tonnes of Urad. We have also decided to continue duty on Masur to be 10% till the end of this year for cheap imports.”
It is expectant with this cooling of prices of onions that it would follow in other pulses and vegetables as well. In the previous year also onion prices had set a record of touching an extreme during the festive season and it would be a relief to have normalized rates of pulses and vegetables this year.
Source: The Economic Times
