Nashik: The average wholesale price of onions at the Lasalgaon APMC has recovered by 42% to Rs 1,100 per quintal in the last 10 days due to the culmination of Ramzan and demand from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.The onion farmers are, however, hoping for a further increase in the prices as the current rates are only slightly above the cost of production, which is around Rs 900/quintal.“The prices of onions should be at least Rs 1,500/quintal. In fact, the government should the minimum support price for the produce to bail the farmers out of financial crisis,” Nivrutti Nyaharkar, a farmer from Nashik, told TOI on Wednesday.According to sources at the Lasalgaon APMC, the average wholesale price is expected to increase further by 30% in the next few days.The supply of onions at the APMC has dropped to some extent as farmers are busy in Kharif sowing activities.Earlier, the average wholesale prices had crashed by almost 65%, from Rs 1,700/quintal on February 21 to Rs 600/quintal on May 18. The average wholesale prices were in the range of Rs 600 to Rs 700 by end-May.However, the average wholesale price rose to Rs 800/quintal after farmers went on strike from June 1 to 10, leading to a drop in supply by almost 70%. Also, the farmers did want to take the risk of bringing onions to the APMCs amid the strike. The supply improved again after June 8 and the average wholesale price was recorded at Rs 750/quintal.It may be noted that the Lasalgaon APMC’s recent move to start cash payment has brought some relief to the onion farmers. Earlier, payments were delayed as traders would issue cheques.

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