Few takers for cheaper Afghanistan onion

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

Though onion from Afghanistan has brought down its prices to some extent at the Sector 26 fruit and vegetable market here, it failed to get good response from buyers due to its taste. People find the taste of the imported onion strong. Even hotels and restaurants are cancelling the orders as customers are not liking onion from Afghanistan.

Onion from Afghanistan is available for Rs 60 to 65 per kg, while onion from Alwar, Rajasthan, is available for Rs 70 to Rs 80 per kg in the wholesale market.

Deepak Kumar, a trader at the vegetable market, said though the arrival of onion from Afghanistan had brought down the prices slightly, people were still preferring onion from Alwar, which was available for Rs 95 to Rs 100 per kg in the retail market.

He said several people, including owners of hotels and restaurants, did not like onion from Afghanistan. Two trucks of onion from Afghanistan failed to get buyers today. The city is receiving onion from Afghanistan, which came through the Attari border.

Traders are expecting that the prices will mellow down by next week as domestic harvest from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh is likely to start soon.