Mumbai: Retailers refuse to slash onion, potato prices despite ample supply

At a time when the wholesale market is flooded with truckloads of onion and potato, prices in the retail market are still high at times almost double.

Even though the wholesale price of onion and potato has dwindled considerably at the APMC market, retailers are yet to follow suit. Traders at the APMC Vashi market revealed that since the facility is getting ample supply of vegetables from all over the state, prices of onion and potato have dipped sharply.

Babaji Dhumal, an onion-potato trader at the APMC market, said, "This year, the production has been good. Though untimely rains affected some of the onion-producing regions like Nashik, produce was satisfactory in other areas like Pune and Otur. This has resulted in ample supply."

Selling high
Unlike the wholesalers, retailers painted a different picture. They claimed that high transportation cost of the veggies prevented them from reducing the prices in the retail market. "We can't afford to sell veggies for the minimum, as it will result in huge losses for us.

Taking into consideration the cost of transportation, we have to keep prices high to make a decent profit," said, Maruti Patil, a vegetable retailer. Surprisingly, a few retailers alleged poor supply of the veggies from the wholesalers for the inflated prices.

Rubbishing these claims, Ashok Walunj, director of onion-potato market at APMC, said, "There is no shortage of onion and potato in the market. The stock is ample and the rates will continue to remain low in the wholesale market."