An analysis of arrivals and price behaviour of onion in different markets of Punjab

Prices of horticulture crops (especially onion) play a vital part in determining the production choices of the farmers. The study analyses the arrival and price behaviour of onion in four major markets, viz. Jalandhar, Phagwara, Bathinda and Ludhiana of Punjab. Present study's results of seasonal indices empirically confirm an inverse connection between the prices and arrival in all the selected markets and the regression analysis showed that one quintal increase in the arrival of onion quantity led to Rs 0.391 decline in the prices in Jalandhar market, 1.232 units in Phagwara market, 0.511 units in Bathinda market and 0.750 in Ludhiana market. The major implication of the study is to develop adequate post harvest marketing infrastructure which should be easily accessible to the producers to reduce price fluctuations arising due to the glut in the market and to increase the storage capacity at the farm level.