After almost a month, onions now turn a little affordable as fresh arrivals started trickling in from Kurnool and Ahmednagar.
From ₹49 a kg at rythu bazaars in the recent past, the cost has come down to ₹38 a kg now. Wholesale dealers expect the price to touch ₹32 to ₹30 a kg in the coming days. “With improved production in main markets such as Nasik, Ahmednagar and Kurnool, the onion cost is likely to drop further in January,” says P. Satyanarayana, a wholesale onion dealer, who received fresh stocks from Ahmednagar after a long wait.
The onion supply in Visakhapatnam is largely dependent on Maharashtra and Kurnool markets. Since the crop suffered a severe blow due to unseasonal rain, local markets have to adjust with the limited stocks available for the past four weeks. With the local producers contributing only a small share to the requirement, the onion rate has increased over the past few weeks.
Apparently, arrivals started picking up in the district as nearly 250 quintals were received in the first load and another 260 quintals of onions arrived as a part of the next consignment in the last one week. On Sunday, about 450 quintals of onions reached Visakhapatnam from Kurnool.
Requirement
The approximate requirement of onions in 13 rythu bazaars across the district is 450 to 500 quintals a day. However, the supply crunch has increased the gap between the market requirement and arrivals for the past one month. “With onion auctions resuming at the Kurnool market yard, Agriculture Marketing Department is now procuring directly from farmers by utilising a part of the revolving fund set aside for the market intervention scheme. We intend to meet the demand and supply in future, ” says P.V. Sudhakar, Regional Deputy Director of Marketing, Visakhapatnam.
A part of the onions sourced from Kurnool has also been supplied to Krishna, Guntur, and East Godavari along with other districts of the State.
Farmers at rythu bazaars hope for an improved sale at the stalls as the onion rate is expected to touch ₹20 a kg next month.
