Imported onions find few takers

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 19

It seems there are virtually no takers for the imported onion from Turkey, which is now almost rotting at fair price shops of the state food and civil supplies corporation. Reason: Onions are now available in open market for Rs50-60 per kg, while the fair price shops are selling it for Rs64 per kg.

“We are now buying onions at wholesale price of Rs50 per kg from open market,” said Shradha Sood, a housewife, adding: “The government should have intervened in November and timely imported onions so that the prices would not have increased to Rs120 per kg.”

Shimla Byopar Mandal president Inderjeet Singh said: “The government acted late. Its delayed action is responsible for skyrocketing prices of onion. If the government wanted to give relief to people, it should have imported it earlier to stabilise its prices. There are no takers for the imported onion now.”

Meanwhile, the state civil supplies corporation yesterday said it had purchased 1,200-quintal imported onion from NEFAD, Delhi. “This onion is being distributed through various godowns and fair price shops of the corporation to provide relief to consumers from unexpected rise in prices,” a spokesperson for the corporation said.

“Almost 800-quintal onion has been distributed to date and the remaining 400 quintal will be distributed within 10 days,” the spokesperson claimed.

The state government has bought the onion from imported stock of the Centre. “Due to efforts of the state government, the prices of the onion have become competitive due to which the hoarded stock is now coming out,” the corporation claimed.

The spokesperson said the department was keeping a strict vigil on hoarding and action would be taken against the defaulter.