Onion farm gate prices expected to be above Rs 45/kg

COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has advised farmers to store and sell small onion from mid-October onwards as farm gate prices are expected to be above Rs 45 per kg during harvest period of mid September- October.

During April-June, farm gate price (the price at which farmers sell produce to middlemen) was Rs 40 to Rs 50 due to lesser arrivals and started declining to Rs 24 to Rs 30, once Karnataka arrivals stated in June, according to Domestic Export and Market Intelligence Cell in TNAU here.

At present small onion price ranges between Rs 35 to Rs 43 in Dindigul market in Tamil Nadu, where the cell analysed the price behaviour in the last 15 years.

The prices are likely to increase from mid-September to October since onion bulbs are likely to purchased for sowing in large number, the cell said.