Imported onions rotten

AHMEDABAD, Nov 4: The State government's effort to curb the upward spiral in onion prices may fail to achieve its goal, with at least 50 per...

AHMEDABAD, Nov 4: The State government8217;s effort to curb the upward spiral in onion prices may fail to achieve its goal, with at least 50 per cent of some 110 tonnes of onion a part of the 400-tonne consignment imported from Iran which arrived here at APMC8217;s Juhapura market yard, turning out to be rotten and unfit for consumption.

However, traders, who have been asked by the State government to sell the stock, claimed that at least 75 per cent of the stock was rotten. Said Chimanbhai Patel, Ahmedabad APMC chairman, 8220;Only 25 per cent of the stock is in good condition. Since the consignment arrived by sea, damp weather must have affected the onions. Besides, delay in customs clearance at Mumbai might have set the rot in the consignment8221;.

Patel ruled out the possibility that such 8220;rotten8221; onion will help ease the price rise and availability. Even as blackened sacks of rotten onion lay in the market-yard and traders raised a stink about it, no one from the State government was there to receive the consignment.

Ahmedabad APMC secretary N I Chhasatia rushed to the market-yard and inspected the consignment. He said so far 11 trucks had arrived and remaining 29-odd would arrive in a day or two. He also said that another 3,000 tonnes of onion, now under Open General Licence OGL, were being imported by Ahmedabad traders and would reach here by 15-20 days.

The wholesale price of onion at Ahmedabad APMC today was recorded at Rs 300-500 per 20 kg, and retail at Rs 15-20. APMC sources said onion prices had remain unaffected a day after the State government brought it, along with potato and salt, under Gujarat Essential Articles-Dealers Regulation Act.

Another trader Haribhai Patel said that if the imported onion had arrived in good condition, it would have pulled down the prices by Rs 100 per 20 kgs. He said the traders would have to bear the labour cost. Another trader Nazir Bagban, said they would have to bear the cost of disposing of rotten onion. 8220;The labourers are refusing to lift the sacks stinking with rotten onion,8221; he said. Yet another trader, Saket Rugnath, said that he suspected that onion had been packed in nylon sacks, and later stuffed into jute bags.

When told of the rotten onion, R M Joshi, director food said that he would bring the thing to the notice of food and drug control administration.

Story continues below this ad

Gujarat Cooperative of Onion Growers Federation advisor K R Shah said that onion is highly perishable, and required daily handling. 8220;Rotten onion has to be segregated daily and disposed of. Besides storage should be facing wind direction,8221; he said, adding that our country lacks modern storage facility.

Shah also maintained that imports would not help slash the onion prices substantially. Also, declaring onion as an essential commodity would not help much, as there was hardly any hoarding of this commodity, he said. Blaming scarcity on unseasonable rains in Maharashtra and Gujarat, he said that situation might ease when Bhavnagar crop arrives by December-end.