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30 tonnes of onions arrive from Pakistan

     Amritsar: A consignment of 30 tonnes of onions from Pakistan reached Amritsar on Saturday night by train while another consignment of four metric tonnes is expected to arrive next week. The Centre on Saturday had decided to import onions through NAFED to protect consumer interest in wake of its rising prices. The decision was taken by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar at an inter-Ministerial meeting to review the production, storage and availability of onion in the country. Meanwhile, the State Government has assured that it would keep a check on black marketing and sell onions at fixed prices, which would be between Rs 16 to 20, through retail shops in the city by opening 25 to 30 retail stores near the mandis in the capital. The reason behind the rising price of onion was the delay in its arrivals in market due to heavy rains in Nasik as there has been no shortfall in area coverage and production of onions in the country. Besides, high humidity conditions have also led to spoilage in stored onion, impacting the availability in the market. The latest review undertaken revealed significant upward rise in onion prices since October 17, 2005, wherein at the Nasik and Azadpur mandis there was a jump in prices from Rs. 1000 per quintal to Rs. 1500 per quintal. The current prices at both these markets are at Rs. 1375 to Rs. 1400 per quintal.