New Delhi: Arrivals of major potato, onion and tomato in the markets have increased during 2013-14 crop year ended June, the government on August 8 informed Parliament. "The arrivals of vegetables in the markets have been increasing over the past three years," Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
According to the data submitted by the minister, the arrival of potato in the markets across the country rose to 120.02 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 crop year (July-June) as against 100.17 lakh tonne in 2012-13 and 94.21 lakh tonnes in 2011-12. Similarly, the supply of onion in markets increased to 111.27 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 from 95.19 lakh tonnes in the previous year and 92.01 lakh tonnes in 2011-12.
Arrivals of tomatoes have surged to 39.50 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 from 32.42 lakh tonnes in the previous year. Tomato supply stood at 31.09 lakh tonnes in 2011-12 crop year. To enhance the production and productivity of vegetables, Balyan said the government is implementing a 'Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture' (MIDH) from January this year to provide support for seed production, vegetable cultivation, nutrient/pest management and organic farming.
"Assistance is also extended for low cost onion storage structure to prevent post harvest losses," the minister said. In order to check prices of onion and potato, the Centre had recently fixed a minimum export price (MEP) for potatoes at USD 450 per tonne and of onions at USD 500 per tonne. It also imposed stock limits on onions and potatoes to prevent hoarding of these two essential commodities.
