Nashik: Arrival of fresh summer onions has begun in country’s largest wholesale onion market, Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), although in low quantity — around 1,000 quintal.Also, the summer produce are fetching goods rates as compared to kharif onions. The average wholesale price of summer onions was recorded at Rs750 per quintal on Thursday, while average wholesale price of kharif onions was recorded at Rs625 per quintal at Lasalgaon.“The harvest of kharif onions is in full swing and is expected to be over by the first half of April. The shelf life of kharif onions is less than a month and farmers can’t store them. Hence, they have no option but to sell the produce at prevailing market rates,” an APMC official said.“But the supply of kharif onions at the APMC which was around 30,000 quintal per day around two weeks ago has now reduced to around 15-20,000 quintal. The demand is more compared to supply. This has led to rise in average wholesale price of kharif onions from Rs400 per quintal on March 1 to Rs625 per quintal,” he added.Moreover, the shelf life of summer onions is around six months and farmers prefer storing them with a hope of fetching better rates. Hence, farmers have no hurry to bring summer onions and they bring summer onions to the market as per their requirement.This summer onions, stored by farmers, cater to the market until arrival of fresh kharif onions by the second-half of October. Last year, weather conditions for storage of onions were favourable owing to which arrival of summer onions continued till December-end.

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