TAD News Desk, New Delhi: To help boost domestic supply and keep the rising onion prices in check, NAFED has finalized bidders and issued orders for the timely supply of 15,000 tones of imported Onions.
The co-operative further said that states must be quick to dispatch the commodity for faster availability in markets, as the imported onions would arrive at port cities.
It added that NAFED plans to issue regular tenders for additional supplies of imported onions.
An official statement said, “Yesterday (Thursday), Nafed received a good response in the tenders with offers to supply at Thoothukudi and Mumbai. Nafed very swiftly has issued confirmation to successful bidders last evening itself so that timely releases are made in the market.”
To meet the criterion of the Indian consumer choice, NAFED has insisted on the supply of middle-sized onions in range of 40-80mm.
Private importers have been allowed to import quality sized onions in minimum time, as compared to last year’s MMTC directly importing red, yellow and pink onions from Egypt and Turkey.
On guidelines issued by Central government, NAFED has floated tenders for import of 15,000 tones of red onions on October 31, at port towns loaded on trucks and trains from importers.
NAFED mentioned that Onion prices are showing a steady decline in wholesale as well as the retail market. The price surge has largely been controlled from onions coming into the market from the old stock of Rabi season and new stock of Kharif season from Maharashtra, Karnataka and, Rajasthan.
A farm gate purchase centre to facilitate the moving of stocks to consumption centre in Maharashtra and Rajasthan has been opened by NAFED.
It added, “It is hoped that with policy interventions of the government and augmented supply from buffer, import and fresh arrival, the onion market will soon normalize.”
However, trade data suggests, onion prices still hanging around in the range of 80-100Kg in most parts of the country.
Source –The Hindu
