Onions imported from Egypt and Turkey has come to the rescue of HOPCOMs in Mysuru whose clientele had been seeking the staple veggie in better quality with bigger size.
With the markets receiving the recently-harvested onions in smaller sizes, traders were now banking on the imported onions that come in both medium and larger sizes which are mostly preferred by those engaged in mass cooking such as hostels, hotels and events.
With HOPCOMS being one of the major suppliers of vegetables to over 45 government-run institutions and hostels, the Society was told to supply “superior” onions since the smaller varieties were not acceptable to them. The cooks at these places were said to have been finding it difficult to slice onions in smaller sizes which was also consuming time.
After the Society started supplying imported onions to the hostels, the clientele is pleased.
“Our customers wanted superior quality onion supplies. We too had no option since only such varieties were available in the wholesale markets. Following the customers’ requests, we procured a consignment of Egyptian onions and the same was supplied to the hostels run by the University of Mysore, government and other institutions, the Mysuru zoo and others. Our clientele now appear to be satisfied but a formal feedback was being awaited from them,” said Datta, Manager, HOPCOMS, Mysuru.
Mr. Datta, who procures about two tonnes of onions from the wholesale market for hostels and 41 outlets on alternative days, told The Hindu that the Society delivered the orders to the hostels, the zoo and other government institutions almost on daily basis.
“Onion is a key item in food cooked for the hostel students and others and therefore the authorities had sought better quality onions. We supplied the imported ones to these places since the varieties come in assorted sizes,” said Mr. Datta.
Many outlets of HOPCOMs across Mysuru have received the stocks of imported onions. The retail price of imported onions at HOPCOMs was ₹155 a kg. The price of domestic and imported varieties was the same at some supermarkets. At a supermarket in Dattagalli, both were sold at ₹135 a kg.
“Some customers were in a fix as to which variety they should buy since both were being sold at the same price. Usually, there is a feeling that imported ones are pricier. The home grown varieties are smaller in size while the imported ones come in bigger size. Customers have limited choice and settle to buy in smaller quantity with the drop in consumption since the price hike,” said an attendant at the market.The wholesale rate of imported onions at the APMC in Bandipalya was ₹135 a kg.
A couple of customers who had bought the imported ones said the taste varies between the domestic and imported varieties and not many may opt for the overseas onions if they are very particular about the flavour. But the Turkish and Egyptian onions have become an attraction for customers because of their sheer size and also colour.
