State-owned trading entity, PEC Ltd, has invited bids to empanel global suppliers for importing three lakh tonne of onions.
This is even as prices of the commodity have started softening in wholesale markets across the country.
PEC has come out with a tender on Monday in this regard and the last date for submitting the expression of interest is August 26.
The move is part of the Government’s initiative to ensure adequate supplies of the bulb to cool down the prices, which had hit a high of Rs 80-100 a kg in retail markets.
On Tuesday, the average or modal price in Delhi stood at Rs 3,400 a quintal, same as on Monday.
However, the arrivals were lower at around 10,000 quintals against Monday’s arrivals of 15,450 quintals.
In Bangalore, the average price on Tuesday was up by Rs 100 a quintal to Rs 3,400, while in Pune, onion traded higher by Rs 600 a quintal at Rs 3,500 over Monday’s price.
India exported 6.39 lakh tonnes during the April-July period of this financial year, compared with 6.94 lakh tonnes in the the corresponding period last year.
Onion production stood at 16.6 million tonnes in 2012-13, lower than last year.