New Delhi: With onion prices skyrocketing across the country, the Centre has had to step in.
To contain the impact of the price rise, the Centre will sell onions at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kilogram through government agencies including National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED)-run retail outlets and Kendriya Bhandar stores.
That will give consumers a lower-priced option compared with prevailing market rates which have gone up to Rs 50 to Rs 60 per kg in different cities.
Onion prices have jumped by over 50 per cent in the last month or so, hitting households hard.
The government has started transporting onions from Maharashtra’s Nashik to Delhi, Chennai, Kochi, Madurai and Guwahati, under the ‘Kanda Express’ initiative.
The first Kanda Express consignments will head to Chennai, Ernakulam, Madurai and Guwahati, and another lot of around 800 metric tonnes has been sent to Delhi and other parts of north India.
The idea is to release large quantities of onions at major mandis so that wholesale prices come down. Once wholesale rates decline, it will translate into lower retail onion prices.
Despite the recent rise in prices, the government has said there is no shortage of onions in the country.
Onion production is expected to be around 307 lakh tonnes in 2025-26, almost the same as the previous year’s production of 308 lakh tonnes.
