Onion Price

Govt sells 4,000 tonnes of buffer onions across 17 cities to cool prices

The government has sold about 4,000 tonnes of buffer onions across 17 cities in the first ten days of a subsidised sale aimed at curbing skyrocketing prices, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Sunday. The Centre, through its agencies NCCF and Nafed, is sitting on a buffer stock of 1.21 lakh tonnes of onion for 2026. These agencies are transporting the stored onions in bulk from producing states to consuming centres, either by a dedicated rail rake christened "Kanda Express" or by trucks, as part of a retail intervention aimed at cooling prices. Onions are being sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg in select price-sensitive cities. "Approximately 4,000 tonnes of buffer onion have been sold so far in 17 cities," Khare told PTI. Bulk consignments have already reached Delhi and Chennai via the Kanda Express, and a third rake is now being loaded for dispatch to Guwahati in the coming days, she added. "The distribution of buffer onions has brought some relief to consume

Kanda Express carrying 453 tonnes of onion reaches Delhi as prices surge

The first 'Kanda Express', a dedicated rail rake, carrying about 453.65 tonnes of onion from Nashik in Maharashtra arrived in Delhi on Friday, as part of the government's efforts to boost supplies in the national capital and nearby cities and rein in prices. "The first Kanda Express, carrying 453.65 tonnes of onion in 21 wagons, reached the national capital in the morning," Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told PTI. The onion, stored at Nashik, will be sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg in Delhi-NCR. Some of the stock will also be sent to nearby cities such as Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jammu, she said. The Centre currently holds about 1.21 lakh tonnes of onion as buffer stock under the Price Stabilisation Fund. Khare said a Kanda Express rake bound for Chennai would be loaded on Friday, followed by rakes for three other destinations -- Madurai, Ernakulam and Guwahati -- one after another. The impact of the buffer stock release is expected to bring down retail onion pri

Onion prices up 59%, govt ramps up 'Kanda Express' supplies to cool market

The Centre is using dedicated railway rakes to move buffer onions from Nashik to major cities as retail prices surge and seasonal shortages loom

Rising imports push onion, pulses, cotton prices to record low levels

At the benchmark Lasalgaon market in Nashik, onion prices are currently at their lowest levels in three years

Centre launches subsidised onion sale at ₹24/kg in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad

The Centre on Thursday kick-started subsidised sale of onions at Rs 24 per kg in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad to make the key kitchen staple available to consumers at affordable rates. After flagging off mobile vans for the sale, Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi said about 25 tonnes of onions from the buffer stock will be sold in these cities through cooperative agencies National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed), National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) and Kendriya Bhandar. Joshi told reporters that onions will be sold at Rs 24 per kg at places where retail prices are higher than Rs 30 per kg. The subsidised onion sale will be extended to Chennai, Guwahati and Kolkata from Friday and will continue till December. The all-India average retail price of onions was Rs 28 per kg on Thursday, while in some cities the rates were above Rs 30 per kg, according to official data. Currently, the government has a buffer stock of 3 lakh tonnes of

Centre withdraws 20% onion export duty as prices slump

India has exported around 1.71 million tonnes of onions in FY24 while in FY25 (till March 18) around 1.16 million tonnes has already been exported

BJP's only term in Delhi: How onions led to the party's defeat in 1998

Delhi exit polls forecast a comeback for the BJP in the national capital after 27 years. Here's a look back at their previous term in Delhi

Farmers briefly halt onion auctions at Lasalgaon APMC after dip in prices

Angry over the drop in onion prices, farmers on Thursday briefly stopped auctions at the Lasalgaon APMC, the country's largest wholesale market of the key kitchen staple in Maharashtra's Nashik district. The farmers demanded removal of the 20 per cent export duty on onions and an aid of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per quintal of the produce, the APMC officials said. Onion prices have been witnessing a decline since the last few days. However, as the prices dropped drastically at the Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), onion farmers stopped the auctions and registered their protest on Thursday, the officials said. Around 1,500 vehicles of onions arrived for auction at the APMC on Thursday. In the morning session, the minimum price was Rs 800 per quintal, maximum Rs 2,900 per quintal and an average Rs 1,900 per quintal, as per the officials. As the auctions began, the auctioneers announced the prices at Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 per quintal. Angry over it, farmers stopped t

Onion crisis hits, Swiggy responds with Rs 39 sale after viral request

Swiggy Instamart launched a flash sale on onions for Rs 39/kg in Delhi -NCR after a viral Reddit post where a customer humorously requested extra onions due to soaring prices

5th shipment of 720-tonnes of buffer onion to reach Delhi on Nov 21: Govt

The Centre on Tuesday said the fifth bulk shipment of 720 tonnes of buffer onion will reach the national capital on November 21 as part of its market intervention to control prices. This marks the continuation of the government's initiative, started last month, to transport buffer onion from Maharashtra to Delhi via railways for the first time. So far, 4,010 tonnes have been dispatched for retail sale at Rs 35 per kg. "Another shipment of 720 tonnes, fifth in the series, has left Nashik yesterday and likely to reach Delhi by 21st of November," according to an official statement. From the fourth bulk shipment of 840 tonnes that arrived on November 17, the government has allocated 500 tonnes to Mother Dairy, 190 tonnes to NCCF and 150 tonnes to Nafed for retail sale across Delhi-NCR. The government noted that bulk shipments have significantly impacted onion prices in Delhi, both at wholesale and retail levels. Besides Delhi, similar initiatives are underway in other cities. The ...

Onion prices soar in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow leaving consumers in distress

The price of onions has risen from Rs 40-60 kg to Rs 70-80 per kg at the wholesale markets

Kanda Express: How onion-laden trains impact farmers, consumers, traders

Onion procurement for the first train was done by the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Ltd and for the 2nd by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd

Bulk sale of onions stabilised prices across markets, says Centre

Second train carrying 840 tonnes of onions from Nashik reached Delhi on Wednesday

Govt's subsidised onion sale brings relief, prices drop in major cities

The government's subsidised onion sale initiative, launched on September 5, has led to price drops in major cities within days, the consumer affairs ministry said on Saturday. In Delhi, retail onion price fell from Rs 60 to Rs 55 per kg, while Mumbai saw a decrease from Rs 61 to Rs 56 per kg. In Chennai, the retail price reduced from Rs 65 to Rs 58 per kg, the ministry said in a statement. The government initiated the sale of onions at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg through mobile vans and outlets of NCCF and NAFED. The program, which began in Delhi and Mumbai, has since expanded to other major cities including Chennai, Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, and Guwahati. Responding to the growing demand, the government has decided to increase the quantity of subsidised onion and expand distribution channels to include e-commerce platforms, Kendriya Bhandar outlets, and Mother Dairy's SAFAL stores. The government has also initiated wholesale disposal of onion in major cities. It

Govt removes minimum export price on onion; aims to benefit Indian farmers

The government on Friday scrapped a minimum price threshold that it had set previously for exports of onion as it looked to pass on the benefit of international glut to Indian farmers. The government had previously fixed a USD 550 per tonne as the minimum export price (MEP), which essentially meant farmers could not sell their produce overseas at lower than this rate. A DGFT notification issued on Friday removed the MEP with immediate effect. The move comes ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra, a key onion producing state. The move would help promote exports of the commodity. "The Minimum Export Price (MEP) condition on Export of onions is removed with immediate effect and until further orders," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

Tears in your eyes: Onion buffer stock way below the govt's FY25 target

Due to trader hoarding and farmers' reluctance to sell their stock, the government has only achieved less than 10 per cent of its 500,000-tonne onion buffer stock target

Why Indian farmers suffer as the government continues to fight inflation?

Govt's aggressive fight against inflation has come despite expectations of a bumper monsoon in 2024

Govt lifts ban on onion exports, sets floor price with 40% export duty

The export ban was imposed by the world's biggest exporter of the vegetable last December and then extended in March

India allows export of 10,000 tonnes of onion to Sri Lanka, eases ban

Directorate General of Foreign Trade says India has approved 79,160 tonnes of onions for export, overriding a ban imposed in December

Asian buyers struggle with high price of onions after India's export ban

The world's biggest exporter of onions banned shipments on Dec. 8 after domestic prices more than doubled in three months following a drop in production.