Afghan onions fail to rein in price of onion in India

In an effort to meet the high demand for onions in the country, India imports onions from the neighboring Afghanistan. However, arrivals of onion from Afghanistan had not helped much in bringing down the high retail prices of onion which are hovering around Rs. 70-80 per kg in India.

Daily 3-5 trucks laden with onion arrive in Punjab via Attari-Wagah land route from Afghanistan.

“There is not much onion crop available in Afghanistan. Therefore the arrivals into India are as low as 60-80 tons per day,” Times of India quotes Amritsar-based vegetable trader Anil Mehra

The source further adds that the traders have cited low arrivals coupled with poor quality of onion imported from Afghanistan the reasons behind high prices of the kitchen staple in the country.

Meanwhile, Delhi government team has reached Maharashtra to purchase onions from the Nashik market in a bid to lower prices of the kitchen staple which has surged to as much as Rs 90-100 in the national capital region.

According to sources, India is turning to regional rival China and sanctions-hit Iran for fresh stocks of the vegetable that is mainly used in spicy curries and traditional dishes such as biryani and bhaji.

There are also talks of using airlifts to ease soaring prices, as sea transport takes longer and so cannot replenish supplies as fast, thereby bringing down prices.