Wholesale onion prices have ‘stabilised’ in Nashik’s Lasalgaon mandi, the country’s biggest onion mandi, said Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) officials.In April, the wholesale price of superior-quality onions was about ₹1,500 per quintal, and that of inferior-quality onions hovered below ₹1,000 per quintal. (HT)Currently, the wholesale price of good-quality onions is ₹2,700 per quintal, and that of inferior-quality onions is ₹2,200 per quintal.In April, the wholesale price of superior-quality onions was about ₹1,500 per quintal, and that of inferior-quality onions hovered below ₹1,000 per quintal. The low wholesale price had been causing distress to the onion growers.“The demand for Nashik onions within the country has increased, leading to a better wholesale price for the produce. Exports of produce are also improving. The prevailing wholesale price at the mandi is satisfying for the onion farmers,” said Lasalgaon APMC authorities, adding that the daily arrival of the produce is around 12,000 quintals at present.Pravin Kadam, director, Lasalgaon APMC, said the wholesale price could go up further once onion exports gain momentum.“Although Nashik onions are being exported, the process is still sluggish. We expect it to gain momentum after some time, which could further increase the wholesale price,” said Kadam.Meanwhile, the Centre on Saturday further increased the Minimum Assured Procurement Price (MAPP) from ₹1,875 per quintal to ₹2,125 per quintal.The move to further increase the MAPP is apparently aimed to attract onion growers to sell their produce to the two central agencies: the National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) and the National Consumers Cooperative Federation of India (NCCF).Officials said that the new MAPP, which is 13% higher than the previous rate, will ensure better returns for onion farmers while supporting price stabilisation efforts.The two agencies had earlier set a target to buy two lakh metric tons of onion from Nashik farmers by June 30. But since the wholesale prices at the Nashik onion mandis are better than what the two agencies are offering, the farmers are unwilling to sell their produce to them. The two agencies are yet to meet the target.Bharat Dighole, president of the state onion growers association, said that the two agencies will not be able to buy two lakh metric tons of onions.“If farmers are getting better prices at the mandis, why would they sell their produce to the two agencies? The two agencies are facing a tough time buying the produce at a low price,” said Dighole.