PAK PIYAZ INROAD INTO INDIAN KITCHENS

 TIA Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Government of India has decided to import 25,000 tonnes of onions from Pakistan to contain the rising prices of the commodity. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India has announced that it would import 25,000 tonnes of onions from neighbouring Pakistan.

After reviewing the situation with the secretaries of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Ministries, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar told media persons that the Commerce Ministry was trying to facilitate import of onion. He said that the government has vowed to do everything possible to bring down rising onion prices.

Chandrasekhar said, the government has also decided to move onions from Karnataka and Gujarat where the output has been reasonably good, to other parts of the country. He expressed the hope that government’s move will help ease the prices of onions soon. The Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has also said that a complete ban on export of onions has been imposed indefinitely to ensure there was no speculative hoarding.

Due to the measures taken by the government, wholesale prices of onions have come down substantially Tuesday, though the impact is yet to be seen in retail markets.

Meanwhile in a move to provide relief to the consumers in the national capital, Delhi Government has started selling onions at Rs 40 per kilogram at around 400 retail outlets across the city. The decision to this effect, was taken by Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit in a meeting. The onions will now be available at 280 Mother Dairy outlets, 85 Kendriya Bhandar and five Nafed outlets and 13 NCCF outlets. Mrs. Dikshit also instructed the officials to continue raids against hoarders and black marketers.