Currently, the wholesale market is getting 30% old onion stocks, while the rest of the 70% onions are from the new crop, said Agricuture Produce Market Committee (APMC) officials.
On Sunday and Monday, after days of a steady rise, prices dropped marginally in the APMC in Pune from Friday’s Rs 3,000- Rs 14,000 per quintal to Rs 2,500-Rs 13,500 per quintal on Sunday to Rs 2,500-Rs 13,000 per quintal on Monday. Wholesalers said that Sunday and Monday were the first time in days that prices fell consecutively.
Sunil Kumbharkar, who owns a vegetable wholesale firm in Market Yard, told TOI that the price rise in onions was likely to stop from Monday and prices may now start going down.
“Prices began falling in the last few days and may continue to gradually dip during the week. We expect prices to dip both for new stock and old stock onions as customers for the old stocks are less. Once the prices of new onions begin dropping, old onion prices will too start falling, “ he said.
Swapnil Gore, a wholesaler at Chakan market, said the number of trucks supplying onions to Pune wholesale market increased to over a 100 in the last few days as against the earlier 10-20 per day.
“The prices of new onions may drop in the wholesale market by next month. Sunday and Monday were the first time onion prices dropped in a long time,” he said.
On Friday, per kg of new onions were being sold at Rs 50 to Rs 110 in the wholesale market, on Sunday the price dropped to around 100 per kg, which further dropped to Rs 30-Rs 80 per kg on Monday, Gore said.
An APMC official told TOI that customers for onions dropped which is why prices have now started falling. “Onion prices dropped by Rs 5-15 per kg in the wholesale market till Monday. As demand for the bulb has dropped and supplies are likely to increase further, prices may come down further. But if supplies drop again and demand increases, then prices may rise. It all depends on the market situation during the next few days, “ the official said.
A vendor in Model Colony said while old onions are currently being retailed at Rs 160 per kg, new onions are being sold at Rs 100-Rs 120 per kg.
“We are only selling old onions to those who ask for it on order, otherwise we are selling onions from the new crop,” he said.
Inderjan Sen, a vegetable vendor in Koregaon Park, said old onions are being sold at Rs 160 to Rs 170 per kg in the retail market while there is not much demand for new onions, which are smaller in size and of an inferior quality.
