Discussion of rottenness at the port, not delivery of high quality imported onion

Mumbai, Ta. 28 January 2020, Tuesday

More recently, onion prices have skyrocketed as a result of the supply crisis in the country which has forced the import of onion, but the imported onion has come to light instead of reaching the consumers.

With about 5 tonnes of onion, 3 refrigerated containers have been falling in container freight stations near JNPT port for the last one month and the onions planted in them are reported to be decaying.

The cost of importing these onions is falling far higher than the currently available onions. Onion prices are falling around Rs 5 per kg against the average price of Rs 3 to Rs 6 per kg on the domestic front, which importers are not in the mood to take delivery, market circles said.

Importers want shipping companies to waive some charges so that their landed costs are cheaper. Container freight stations are warehouses where goods are shipped before reaching the consumer.

There are 5 such stations at JNPT. Due to the heavy rainfall last year, the onion crop in Maharashtra has been severely damaged and prices have gone up to around Rs 5 per kg.

Traders have ordered onion imports from Egypt and Turkey in anticipation of a shortage of onions in the market. However, the government has also imported onions and increased the supply in the market and onion prices have fallen with the onset of kharif onion revenue.

Generally, imported onions are not particularly sharp, so they are also less seasoned.

Meanwhile, onion production is expected to be seven per cent higher in the current crop year of 3-4, according to government-issued data on Monday. The Ministry of Agriculture said onion crop has been planted on an area of ​​1.5 lakh hectares in the crop crop from July 1-7, which was last year on an area of ​​1.5 lakh hectares.

As a result of this, onion production, which stood at 8 million tonnes in a crop of 3-5 tonnes, is expected to rise to 8 million tonnes. Onions are harvested in both kharif and ravi seasons. This year, the monsoon-long kharif kandan was damaged by 5% of the crop.