7,000 tonnes onion already imported, 25,000 tonnes likely to arrive before Diwali: Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal

 In an effort to boost domestic supply and check price rise, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said private trers have alrey imported 7,000 tonnes of onion and ar 25,000 tonnes are expected to arrive before Diwali.

Cooperative Nafed will also start importing onion, he said.

Besides, 30,000 tonnes potato is being imported from Bhutan in order to improve local supply and control prices of key commodity, he ded.Retail onion prices are stable in last three days at Rs 65 per kg. government has taken proactive measures to check price rise. Exports were banned timely and took steps for import,Goyal said at a digital press conference.

government relaxed fumigation rms for import of onion till December. So far, 7,000 tonnes of onion has been imported by private trers, ded Goyal.Ar 25,000 tonnes of onion is expected to arrive before Diwali, he said, and ded along with imports, arrival of new kharif crop in mandis from next month will help improving supply situation and ease pressure on prices.

minister said that onion is being imported from countries like Egypt, Afghanistan and Turkey by private trers. Even Nafed will import on its own capacity.

government has relaxed fumigation rms for import of onion and export of onion seeds have been banned, he ded.

Among or measures, stock limits have been imposed on trers to curb hoarding and black marketing and Nafed, which is holding buffer stock of onion on behalf of government, is offloing stock in open market. 

So far, Nafed has offloed 36,488 tonnes.

In case of potato, Goyal said its prices have been rising and all India aver retail price has been stable at around Rs 42 per kg for last three days.

However, government has taken steps to import potato. About 30,000 tonnes of potato is arriving from Bhutan in next couple of days, minister said.

We are going to import about 10 lakh tonnes of potato and bring prices under control, he ded.

Kharif onion is expected to hit mandis from next month. Onion production from kharif and later kharif season is expected to be lower by 6 lakh tonnes to 37 lakh tonnes in current year.

(IM CREDITS:PTI)