Onion Price Rise

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

Centre to sell onions at ₹35/kg in Delhi from Thursday amid price surge

The Centre will begin retail sale of onions at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg in the national capital from Thursday, in a bid to check prices that have surged to Rs 55-60 per kg in several cities across the country. Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi is set to inaugurate the subsidised sale on Thursday, a senior official in the consumer affairs ministry said. The onions being released into the market are from a buffer stock of 1.21 lakh tonne maintained across producing states for 2026. The retail intervention will be carried out through three agencies -- Nafed, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar. "We will start the sale tomorrow in Delhi and after by weekend extend to the NCR region," said Anice Joseph Chandra, Managing Director, National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) told PTI. NCCF, which holds a buffer stock of 62,000 tonne of onion, is transporting 400 tonne from Nashik, Maharashtra, via the "Kanda Express", which is expected to reach Delhi on Thursday. The ...

Dist admin should check irregularities in onion procurement: Agri ministry

The Union Agriculture Ministry has suggested that district administration should be involved in procurement of onion to ensure transparency and check irregularities in the purchase process. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs B L Verma said, the Department of Agriculture constituted a fact finding committee to look into allegations of irregularities in the procurement of onions under Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). The department, vide OM (office memorandum) dated 4th November, 2024, "conveyed the suggestions that concerned district administration should be involved in the procurement process to ensure transparency and local oversight, to adopt biometric based verification of farmers, and payment to registered farmers bank account through Aadhaar Enabled Payment system", he added. Onions for PSF buffer are procured by NAFED and National Cooperative Consumers' ...

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 likely to cool with new kharif crop arrival, says official

Onion prices are expected to further cool down in the coming days as the arrival of fresh kharif crop has begun, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said on Wednesday. Currently, the average all-India retail price of onion is ruling at Rs 54 per kg and the prices have declined in the past one month after the government's subsidised sale of onion in key consuming centers, the official said. The government is disposing of the buffer stock onion in the retail market at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg in Delhi-NCR and other cities to provide relief to consumers from high prices. The government has a buffer stock of 4.5 lakh tonne of onion, of which 1.5 lakh tonne has been disposed till date. According to the ministry official, the buffer stock onion is being transported to key consuming centres through railways for the first time and is helping boost the supplies. "We will continue with the bulk rail transportation of buffer onion till we exhaust with the stock and prices ..

Govt to offload more onions in markets to stabilise retail prices

The government on Tuesday said it is keeping a close watch on onion prices and has decided to offload more quantities from buffer stock in retail markets to stabilise rates amid temporary supply constraints. According to government data, the retail price of onion is Rs 67 per kg in the national capital while the all-India average retail price of the kitchen staple is Rs 58 per kg. "The government has decided to upscale the onion disposal in order to address temporary constraint in onion supply observed in certain markets in the past 2-3 days owing to festival season and closure of mandis," an official statement said. Co-operative NAFED has indented two more rakes for Delhi-NCR and one for Guwahati this week. Similarly, dispatch through road transport would also be upscaled to ensure the availability of onions in the market. "The availability of onions would be further accentuated by more supplies from NCCF, both through rail and road transport," it added. Moreover, the government

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

Onion prices hit 5-year high, expected to drive November inflation higher

Onion prices have increased by 21 per cent in four days, reaching a five-year high of Rs 60 per kg, while potato and cooking oil prices also remain elevated. Experts warn of inflation pressure in Nove

Bulk sale of onions stabilised prices across markets, says Centre

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

Nafed transports 840 tonne of buffer onion to Delhi to control price rise

The government on Wednesday said about 840 tonne of buffer onion arrived via rail at Delhi's Kishanganj railway station, as part of its multi-pronged strategy to control prices. This marks the second major rail delivery after 1,600 tonne reached Delhi on October 20 through 'Kanda Express', an official statement said. The shipment, procured by NAFED under the price stabilization fund, will primarily be released through Azadpur Mandi, with a portion earmarked for retail sale at Rs 35 per kg. Retail prices of onion are ruling at Rs 60-80 per kg in the national capital depending upon the quality and locality. In a first, the government has adopted rail transport for timely and cost-effective delivery of onions across regions. NAFED earlier transported 840 MT to Chennai on October 26, while another consignment of similar quantity departed from Nashik for Guwahati early Wednesday. The government had built a buffer of 4.7 lakh tonne during the rabi season and began releasing from Septem

Onion prices surge ahead of Diwali due to heavy rains and supply issues

Onion prices have surged ahead of Diwali, reaching Rs 60-80 per kg, as heavy rains damage crops and disrupt supply; government efforts to stabilise prices are underway

Govt's first 'Kanda Express' to transport 1,600 tonnes of onions to Delhi

The government is expecting that this first-ever large-scale movement of onions from Maharashtra will aid in stabilising prices in the Delhi-NCR area

Delhi food minister urges steps to control onion, essential items' prices

Delhi Food and Supplies minister Imran Hussain has directed officials concerned to take effective measures to keep prices of onion and other essential commodities under control, according to a statement issued on Monday. During a meeting, the minister cautioned the food and civil supplies department to be vigilant about the surge in prices of onion and other essential commodities in Delhi, it said. The minister directed food and civil supplies department to instruct the market intelligence unit to depute teams in markets to ascertain the retail prices of essential commodities, the statement issued by the minister's office, said. The minister also instructed the marketing intelligence team to evaluate the difference between wholesale and retail prices of commodities. Officers present in the meeting said average retail prices of onion in Delhi have been stable for some time and are likely to remain stable in the near future as well, it stated. Hussain directed the Supplies departmen

50% jump in onion sowing may help cool down prices in coming months

Govt starts discounted onion sale at Rs 35/kg in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai

Kitchen staple onion prices remain above Rs 45/kg, supply shortages persist

Many onion traders are holding back their stock, anticipating further price increases due to the potential for heavy rainfall in October and November, which could disrupt supply

Govt buys onions at 74% higher prices in Maharashtra ahead of state polls

In 2023, the average rate at which the Centre procured onions from Maharashtra was Rs 16.93 per kg. This year, it is procuring at around Rs 29.5 per kg via direct benefit transfer

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

Onion prices rise 30-50% in 14 days due to high demand ahead of Bakri Eid

Traders have started hoarding stocks in anticipation that the government may relax its measures to control prices

Govt plans large scale radiation processing of onions to prevent shortages

The world's biggest exporter of onions is expected to see output fall by 16 per cent in 2023-24 amid lower yields