Retailers fleecing buyers despite big drop in wholesale onion prices

KARACHI: Retail prices of onions continue to remain high despite drop in wholesale prices to Rs1,200-1,300 per maund from Rs2,800 per maund.

Retailers were charging Rs60-80 per kg for new Sindh crop depending on the size and quality despite a self-imposed ban by exporters from Nov 3 for a period of 15 days to control rising prices and contain shipment of premature onion.

All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Patron-in-Chief Waheed Ahmed said exporters have now decided to resume export of onion from Nov 27 after arrival of full onion crop from Sindh and 50 per cent cut in wholesale price. He said the association had intimated the decision to the Department of Plant Protection.

He said Pakistan has a window of opportunity to export onion in the international market for an additional month, during which exporters taking advantage of surplus volume would export and generate valuable foreign exchange for the country. After one month, the Indian onion would also be available in the international market and thus opportunities to export Pakistani onion would be limited.

Waheed urged the government to impose ban on import of onion and potato from Iran in the larger interest of local growers.