Egyptian onions fail to impress Ahmedabad residents

AHMEDABAD: After Mumbai, Egyptian onions have now made their way to Ahmedabad. On Thursday, 16 tonnes of this imported vegetable arrived in Chimanbhai Patel market at Vasna. They are being sold at Rs 50 per kilo in the wholesale market.
Kishorbhai Karodimal, an onion wholesaler at Vasna market, had ordered the Egyptian onions after their arrival in Mumbai markets."After they were made available in Mumbai, we ordered this variety though their taste and quality are not as good as our Indian onions," he said. He further said that there are only a few takers for these onions in the city. The Egyptian variety is a bit larger in size as compared to Indian onions. Hoteliers who buy onions in bulk have opted for the Egyptian variety.
Dipak Patel, secretary of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Ahmedabad, said, "The Egyptian onions were flown in to meet the growing demand. But they have failed to impress local consumers because of their poor quality." He further said that the imported onions take longer to reach Indian markets; hence, they cannot be trusted for quality. He added that if Indian onions continue to be in scarce supply, wholesale traders in Ahmedabad might continue to import the Egyptian variety.
On Friday, onions were being sold at Rs 50-52 in the wholesale markets and Rs 75-80 in retail markets across Ahmedabad.