Govt raises onion buffer to 5 lk MT; NCCF to retail onions at Rs 25/kg

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Consumer affairs department has also directed National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED) to procure around one lakh metric tonne of onions to further achieve the additional procurement target. Alongside procurement the said bodies will retail onions at Rs 25 per kg through outlets and mobile vans of NCCF from August 21 2023. «Retail sale of onion will be suitably enhanced in coming days by involving other agencies and e-commerce platforms,» the government said in a release.

Earlier last week, amid rising prices of onions in parts of India, the central government had started releasing the staple vegetable from its buffer stock. As per latest information provided by the government, disposal of onions from the buffer has commenced, with major markets States and UTs as targets. The targeted markets are where the retail prices are above the all-India average and/or are significantly higher than the previous month.

«As on date, about 1,400 MT of onions from the buffer has been dispatched to the targeted markets and are being continuously released to augment the availability,» as per the release. According to the official data, all-India average retail price of onion was ruling 19 per cent higher at Rs 29.73 per kg on Sunday compared to Rs 25 per kg in the year-ago period. In Delhi, retail price of onion has increased to Rs 37 per kg from Rs 28 per kg in the said period.