Prices of big onion dropped on Monday at the wholesale market in Coimbatore, giving a relief to consumers.
M. Rajendran, president of Thyagi Kumaran Market Vegetable Merchants’ Association, told The Hindu that the wholesale price of big onion was Rs. 64 a kg at the market on Friday.
It dropped to Rs. 40 to Rs. 42 a kg on Monday. This was because of the action taken by the Union Government and the announcement that imports would be permitted.
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Karnataka was expected to have a bumper crop and arrivals would start in two weeks. This would bring down the prices further. The prices were not expected to go up further for the next two months.
According to an official at the R.S. Puram Uzhavar Sandhai, the price of big onion on Saturday and Sunday was Rs. 62 and Rs. 60 a kg respectively. It came down to Rs. 57 on Monday at the market.
A leading vegetable retailer in the city said that the retailers had purchased the onions one or two days ago and the retail prices would start declining on Tuesday.
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However, the prices would remain low depending on the arrival.
Sale of big onion had dropped during the last few days because of the prices.
Mr. Rajendran said that however, the price of small onion was Rs. 50 a kg on Monday (wholesale). The Karnataka season would end in a couple of weeks and its prices could go up further.
The other high-price vegetable was ginger. It was about Rs. 150 a kg, though the price was lower for the new arrivals.
In the case of other vegetables, the prices were expected to come down in the coming weeks when arrivals would increase.
Potato and tomato prices had fallen because of high arrivals. Nearly 75 per cent of wholesale vegetable arrivals to Coimbatore were sold to Kerala and the Onam purchases would commence from the first week of September. This would push the demand, he said.