New Delhi: In a significant move to combat rising onion prices, the central government has introduced a subsidized sale of onions at Rs 35 per kilogram, starting Thursday. This initiative is currently being implemented in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, where consumers have been grappling with soaring onion prices, often exceeding Rs 60 per kilogram.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, inaugurated the program by flagging off mobile vans from the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). These mobile vans, along with retail outlets managed by NCCF and NAFED, will distribute onions at the reduced price as part of the government’s strategy to use buffer stocks to stabilize market prices.
The subsidized onions will also be available through e-commerce platforms, Kendriya Bhandar, and Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets. This multi-channel distribution aims to ensure widespread access to affordable onions for consumers across the affected regions.
Looking ahead, Minister Joshi announced that the second phase of the onion sale will extend to additional cities, including Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Raipur, starting next week. A nationwide rollout is planned for the third week of September.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare noted that onion availability is expected to improve in the coming months due to an increase in sowing area. The current season has seen a rise in onion cultivation to 2.9 lakh hectares, up from 1.94 lakh hectares last year. Additionally, approximately 38 lakh tonnes of onions remain in storage with farmers and traders, which is anticipated to further stabilize supply and pricing.
