As part of its multi-pronged strategy to control prices, the government has transported about 840 tonnes of buffer onion by rail to Kishanganj railway station in Delhi. A government statement said that this is the second major supply by rail after 1,600 tonnes of onions reached Delhi via Kanda Express on October 20. The consignment purchased by NAFED, a co-operative society under the Price Stabilization Fund, will be released mainly through Azadpur Mandi, a part of which has been earmarked for retail sale at the rate of Rs 35 per kg.
onion brought by train
In the country’s capital Delhi, retail prices of onion are running at Rs 60-80 per kg depending on the quality and location. For the first time, the government has adopted rail transport for timely and cost-effective delivery of onions to various areas. NAFED had earlier delivered 840 tonnes of onions to Chennai on October 26, while another consignment of the same quantity had left for Guwahati from Nashik on Wednesday morning. The government had created a buffer of 4.7 lakh tonnes during the Rabi season and started releasing it through retail and wholesale channels from September 5. The statement said that 1.40 lakh tonnes of onion has been sent through road transport from Nashik and other centres.
This is the plan I have made
National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) has reached 104 destinations in 22 states, while NAFED covers 52 destinations in 16 states. The agencies have partnered with Safal, Kendriya Bhandar and Reliance Retail to retail at Rs 35 per kg. Additionally, 86,500 tonnes of onion has been allocated to nine state governments and cooperative societies for retail distribution.
Helped in reducing prices
This intervention has helped stabilize retail prices in key states including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, UP, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, while the all-India average retail price remained stable till October. The wholesale price in Nashik mandi has come down from Rs 47 per kg on September 24 to Rs 40 at present. The Guwahati rail consignment is expected to improve availability in the north-eastern states and moderate regional prices, the statement said.
