Delhi Market: Arrival of Onion Trucks and Price Outlook

On June 9th, 2023, the Delhi market witnessed a total arrival of 98 trucks carrying onions within a span of three days. Each truck had a capacity of 12-16 metric tons. Here is a breakdown of the major arrivals from different regions, with onions packed in 40kg mesh bags:

Nashik: 11 trucks arrived with a wholesale price range of USD 0.16-0.21 (INR 13-17) per kilogram.
Pune: 5 trucks arrived with prices ranging from USD 0.12-0.21 (INR 10-17) per kilogram.
Madhya Pradesh: 12 trucks arrived with prices ranging from USD 0.11-0.16 (INR 9-13) per kilogram for larger-sized onions.
Rajasthan: 16 trucks arrived with a price of USD 0.14 (INR 11.50) per kilogram.

However, there is a concern regarding the domestic market price of onions in the next 10-15 days. The stock is prone to spoilage during transportation to local regions, which takes approximately 3-4 days by road. The lack of refrigerated trucks and the hot climate are contributing to spoilage, resulting in a loss of 1-2 kilograms per bag by the time the onions reach the wholesale market, or mandi. Furthermore, there is a significant export demand for onions to Bangladesh, with 200 trucks daily exporting onions at a price range of USD 0.07-0.12 (INR 6-10) per kilogram for onions sized between 25mm to 35mm. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NEFED) plans to procure onions from Nashik through a tender. They aim to purchase 300K metric tons of onions from various regions in India for export to Bangladesh between mid-October and the end of November.