5 days ago
Government Defends Onion Buffer Stock as Delhi Prices Rise
The government keeps extra onions in storage to help control prices.
An official said the stored onions are in good condition.
She rejected reports that 30% of the onions had spoiled.
This year, the Central Warehousing Corporation is storing the onions instead of traders.
Experts check the stock regularly.
Special trains called Kanda Express are carrying onions to several cities.
The government hopes the extra onions will bring prices down within about a week.
It also expects future onion crops to provide enough supply.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the government’s 1.21-lakh-tonne onion buffer stock is in good condition.
The Central Warehousing Corporation is storing the stock for the first time, with third-party quality checks conducted regularly.
Estimated onion recovery reached 72% this year, up from 49% in 2022, 54% in 2023 and 63% in 2024.
The government is sending onions by dedicated Kanda Express rail services to Delhi, Chennai, Madurai, Ernakulam and Guwahati.
Delhi’s retail onion price rose 88% year-on-year to Rs 62 per kg, while officials said supplies should remain comfortable.
- Who
- Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare, along with procurement agencies Nafed and NCCF and the Central Warehousing Corporation, is involved in managing the onion buffer stock.
- What
- The government defended the quality of its onion buffer stock and began transporting it by rail to help ease prices.
- Where
- The onions are being transported to Delhi, Chennai, Madurai, Ernakulam and Guwahati; Nashik is identified as a producing centre.
- When
- The statements and price data were reported on August 28; one source dates the report to 2026, while the PTI reports do not specify a year.
- Why
- The measures are intended to improve supplies and reduce elevated onion prices.
Government Position
Reported Concerns and Market Pressure
Condition of stored onions
Government Position
Nidhi Khare said the buffer stock is in good condition and rejected reports that 30% of the 1.21-lakh-tonne stock had rotted.
Reported Concerns and Market Pressure
Reports cited by the articles claimed that 30% of the stock had spoiled, although Khare disputed that claim.
Impact on consumer prices
Government Position
The government expects Kanda Express shipments to increase supplies and make retail prices fall, with an effect potentially visible within a week.
Reported Concerns and Market Pressure
Consumers faced elevated prices, including Rs 62 per kg in Delhi, despite the government’s assertion that supplies remain comfortable.
Near-term availability
Government Position
Khare cited improved recovery, irrigation, reservoir levels and broadly stable projected production as reasons for expecting adequate supplies.
Reported Concerns and Market Pressure
The 88% annual increase in Delhi’s retail price and the reported storage concerns indicate continuing market pressure, even though the articles provide no separate official forecast opposing Khare’s outlook.
Key facts
- Buffer stock
- 1.21 lakh tonnes of onions
- Storage agency
- The Central Warehousing Corporation is storing the stock for the first time this year.
- Quality assessment
- A third party assesses the stock at regular intervals.
- Estimated recovery
- 72% this year, compared with 49% in 2022, 54% in 2023 and 63% in 2024.
- Rail distribution
- Kanda Express is sending onions to five cities; 453 tonnes reached Delhi on Friday.
- Delhi retail price
- Rs 62 per kg, up 88% from Rs 33 per kg a year earlier.
- Production estimate
- 2025-26 onion production is estimated at 307.37 lakh tonnes, compared with 307.67 lakh tonnes the previous year.
Quotes
Nidhi Khare
Consumer Affairs Secretary who oversees the government’s onion buffer-stock response
“Nothing of that kind has happened. Quality is good.”
freepressjournal.in
theprint.in
deccanchronicle.com
“There should not be a problem. The stock is good.”
freepressjournal.in
theprint.in
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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