Centre ready to provide buffer stock to states to check rise in onion prices: Paswan

Amid reports of onion prices touching Rs 60 per kg in several parts of the country, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday said the Centre is ready to provide buffer stock of onion to the states to check price rise.

"We had kept 50,000 metric tonnes of onion in buffer stock out of which we still have 35,000 metric tonnes of onion. We are ready to give onion to the state governments at lower rates," Paswan said at a press conference here.

He said the central government has given onion from its buffer stock to Delhi and Tripura.

The minister attributed the surge in onion prices to floods in several parts of the country especially in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. "Several parts of the country witnessed floods which hit the transportation of onion, contributing to the price hike," he said.

Paswan noted the government is in a "wait and watch mode" on onion price spike and will crackdown on hoarders if the issue does not resolve even after using its buffer stock.

"When the price of any farm produce increases, people get agitated but there is no word when prices of industrial products spike. September, October and November is a crucial period for prices of onion, potato and tomato. Prices of potato and tomato are under control," he said.

The prices of onion in the open market have increased drastically over the past week in several parts of India including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Patna, Varanasi and Lucknow.

The minister was speaking to media after a meeting with the officers of the Ministry of Food and Processing, the Ministry of Commerce and others for effective enforcement of the standards of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Bureau of Indian Standards.

Paswan said the government was working to enhance the standards of edible goods and aiming to increase exports.

He also said he would call a meeting to discuss the enforcement of standards for piped drinking water in the national capital.