Govt sells 4000 tn buffer onions across 17 cities in 10-day subsidised push to tame soaring prices

New Delhi: The central government has offloaded nearly 4,000 tonnes of buffer stock onions across 17 cities in the first ten days of its retail intervention program, aimed at reining in surging retail prices, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare announced on Sunday.

To cool escalating costs, the Centre—operating through the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed)—is actively liquidating its 1.21 lakh tonne onion reserve maintained for 2026. Bulk shipments of onions are being transported from primary producing hubs to high-demand consumer centres via specialised "Kanda Express" rail rakes as well as truck fleets, offering the staple kitchen crop at a discounted rate of ₹35 per kg in key price-sensitive urban markets.

"Approximately 4,000 tonnes of buffer onion have been sold so far in 17 cities," Khare told PTI.

The Consumer Affairs Secretary highlighted that bulk train dispatches have already arrived in Delhi and Chennai, with a third dedicated rake currently being loaded for Guwahati.

"The distribution of buffer onions has brought some relief to consumers. Prices have fallen slightly," Khare said, assuring that the size and quality of the central buffer stock remain fully competitive with private market inventory. She added that unseasonal rains during harvest had caused partial damage to the rabi crop, which is traditional inventory stored for late-season distribution.

Complementing the government's efforts, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra confirmed that the federation has directly distributed a considerable share of the subsidised stocks.

"So far, we have sold 1,500 tonnes of buffer onions in different cities across the country. The focus is on retail and selling at Rs 35 per kg," she said.

Chandra noted growing participation from state administrations, with NCCF partnering with local authorities to sell the produce through federation outlets, mobile vans, cooperative networks, and state-designated points. Driven by the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC)—which is managing sorting, grading, packaging, and logistics—the retail intervention is presently operational in Delhi-NCR, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Odisha, among other regions.

According to Chandra, the targeted release of discounted onions has already triggered a price drop of ₹2–3 per kg in active intervention markets.

Official figures from the Department of Consumer Affairs show that the all-India average retail price of onions reached ₹50.79 per kg, rising from ₹48.5 per kg when the scheme was initially launched on August 28. As of September 5, retail onion prices were recorded at ₹58 per kg in Delhi, ₹53 per kg in Mumbai, ₹63 per kg in Chennai, and ₹40 per kg in Ranchi, alongside a national average wholesale price of ₹42.79 per kg.

Government officials project a favorable yield for the upcoming kharif crop, anticipating its arrival by mid-October to significantly relieve supply deficits and push market prices down further. (PTI)