Maharashtra government suspends plan of buying onions from Karnataka

PUNE: As a firm downtrend in onion prices in Maharashtra has set in, the state government has dropped its plan of buying onions from neighbouring Karnataka.

As wholesale onion prices had again bounced to Rs 60/kg last week, the state government had started thinking about buying onions from Karnataka for supplying to metros like Mumbai and Pune. Onion prices in Karnataka were ruling lower than Maharashtra due to arrival of new crop in that state.

A team of the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board ( MSAMB) had also visited markets in Karnataka to verify the feasibility of the proposal. However, after the state marketing director's meeting in Lasalgaon on September 19, where he suggested raiding the onion traders if onion prices did not come down, downward trend in the wholesale prices in the state started.