STATES SHUN IMPORTED ONIONS

CENTRE FEARS STOCK MAY ROT

Forced to import onions to check spike in prices, the Union Government now fears that the key kitchen staple may rot in godowns as states have shown little interest in buying them despite its offer to bear transportation cost.

Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the Centre is offering onions to states at Rs55 per kg landed cost and is ready to bear the cost of transporting the commodity.

While the Centre alone can import onions, it depends on states for retailing them to consumers.

Retail onion prices started to rise by September-end and touched a high of Rs 170 per kg in December, forcing the Union government to import onions from countries like Turkey and Egypt.

So far, we have contracted (import of) 36,000 tonnes of onion. Of which, 18,500 tonnes of shipment has reached India, but states have taken only 2,000 tonne that too after much persuasion. We are worried about its disposal because it is a perishable commodity.

—RAM VILAS PASWAN

In subsequent weeks, rates started to soften with the arrival of new Kharif crop in the market.

“Tomorrow, someone should not go to court and say imported onions were rotting,” he said, adding, the Centre is offering imported onions at an average cost of Rs 55 per kg and also bearing the entire transportation cost. Despite all, the state governments are not coming forward to buy them.

As per government data, retail onion prices average Rs 50 per kg in most markets. The data showed onion being priced at Rs 50 per kg in the national capital but local vendors were selling it for Rs 70-80 a kg.

Asked why prices are still high despite imports, Paswan said, "The imports are being done to improve the domestic supply and check prices. If state governments are not ready to take the imported onions, what can we do?" So far, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal governments have taken the imported onions. Many states have withdrawn their demand, he added.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) plea to set aside the bail granted to businessman and MP CM Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri in a money laundering case connected to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam. Justice Suresh Kait said bail once granted ought not to be cancelled in a mechanical manner and it has to be established that the relief was being misused or that it was not in the interest of justice to allow the accused to remain out. "However, all those facts are missing in the present case,” the court said, adding no ground was made out in the plea to interfere with the bail granted to Puri by a special court on Dec 2, 2019.