Concerned over escalating prices of onion, the Delhi Government has decided to conduct raids against hoarders and asked retail traders to sell the vegetable at reasonable rates.
The city Government maintained that there was no shortage in onion supply in Delhi even as prices have increased to Rs 40 per kg in the retail market against Rs 20 per kg a month ago. Traders said the prices of onion have gone up due to high rates in the Maharashtra’s wholesale market on account of tight supply.
Food and Supply Minister Haroon Yusuf, after a meeting with representatives of wholesale fruits and vegetable markets as well as officials of his department, said that the Government had decided to come down hard on hoarders of onion.
“Against a daily demand of 400 tonnes, we are getting supply of 1,000 tonnes of onion. There is no scarcity of onion in Delhi. Currently we have a stock of 2,000 tonnes. The retail traders have increased the rates. We will take strict action against retailers, who are making unreasonable profits,” the Minister said.
In the Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets, which has more than 400 stores in the NCR, onions are being sold at Rs 36-37 per kg, while local vendors are charging Rs 40 per kg.
Azadpur Mandi’s Onion Merchant Traders Association president Surendra Budhiraj said that wholesale rate in Delhi has increased to Rs 22-27 per kg since a week now as supply from Madhya Pradesh has come down substantially due to rains.
Yusuf said he has asked Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, which runs the Azadpur wholesale fruits and vegetable market, to publish the wholesale prices of major vegetables in newspapers on a daily basis so that people know the actual rates.