Zee Media Bureau
The government will not allow onion prices to rise in festival season, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Friday.
In a cautious move against possible hike in onion prices in the festive season, the government on Monday relaxed norms for import of the kitchen staple till November to boost domestic supply and check rates.
As per official data, onion prices are at present stable in the range of Rs 20-30 kg in most places. Onion is availabe at Rs 30 per kg in Delhi, Rs 32 per kg in Mumbai and Rs 25 per kg in Chennai and Kolkata.
The government has allowed fumigation of consignments of imported onions after arrival at Indian port through an accredited agency and has also waived off the four times penal fees on account of non-compliance of the fumigation norms.
Last month, the government had reduced the minimum export price of onion to USD 300 per tonne in view of softening of prices and increased availability of the vegetable in the domestic market.
Onion production is estimated to have risen to 192 lakh tonnes (LT) during 2013-14 crop year (July-June), from 168 LT in 2012-13. Exports meanwhile fell to 13.58 LT last fiscal from 18.22 LT in 2012-13.
The domestic demand during the lean period from June to November is met through stored rabi (winter) and fresh kharif (summer) produce.
With agency inputs
